Dark Days: Philip Grand High School
by FireheadHuntress
Summary: Alexandra goes to a school for supernaturals & humans. She becomes the lively girl she once was with the help of the love of her life - Jake. Nothing can stop their love, but someone can stop her heart when Jake's past comes knocking.
1. Monthly Human Icky Problems?

**I made these characters up, so i guess i own them XD MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE**

** New Characters : Jake Young, Alexandra White, Maria Delgaudio**

**ENJOY! XOXO**

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His skin was so cold! He ran his fingertips up and down my left arm, causing me to shiver deeply under his touch. He averted his eyes from mine, keeping his focus on the teacher. What was he doing? Why me; didn't he not understand how bad a move this was? Maria – his girlfriend – was sitting just across the classroom and if she glanced round just for a second, the whole classroom would be in shreds!

I went to Philips Grand High School in Colchester, one of only the fifteen schools in England where humans, werewolves, shape shifters and vampires were integrated. You'd think I'd was scared stiff about the possible chance of dying here but I really was not. You see, we have wristbands here that you can't get through the school gates without it and once in, it won't come off until your out. The wristbands don't let us shape shift, don't let us bite somehow, and weaken only the werewolves strength as soon as they're inside the school grounds.

Besides, I wouldn't care if I was bitten by a vampire or crushed by a werewolf or shape shifter. I lost the will to live as soon as my father started to beat me when my mother died. It had been six years since she had a heart attack. Since then, my father changed greatly. Bruises cover my body. Scars across my body from where I couldn't keep in my emotions. Stupid really, but I had never had been confident enough to just to end my life. My mother left me a lot of money, which is how I'd been able to go to Philip Grand High School. It was her wish that my education would be taken care of and I would always oblige to her wishes, even when she was alive.

"I missed you yesterday." His silky voice mumbled closely to my ear, soft enough so no other vampire would hear us in this room. He moved his hand to under our desk, resting it gently on my thigh so no one could see his affection that he always _needed_ to show.

"I missed you too. But I didn't feel well. Now Shh…" I whispered back. I couldn't help the smile that played on my lips. I could never help it when I was around Jake. He drove me wild and he didn't even know. Jake was a gorgeous vampire, with light brown hair that fell messily over his head. He had almost black eyes which I found myself lost in a lot of the time with out realizing. His pale lips contained a perfect set of teeth, and man, his body! He was tall but muscular enough for my liking. I also knew that he was very strong; when Tommy Hutchinson slapped his sisters' bottom, he shoved him through a wall and broke another just by hitting it in frustration over and over again.

I wasn't pretty at all. I had black, long hair that fell halfway down my back; I never did anything with it but let it loose. I had grey eyes and plump pinkish lips that used to always hang in a frown until I met Jake.

Problem was Jake had been with his girlfriend Maria for almost five years. She wanted to get married to him for three of them. I didn't blame her; counting all together they were most likely older than my father. And Jake thought he wanted the same but when he first saw me, he said he never felt for anyone like this before, not even Maria. But he was and still is scared about these feeling. Personally I thought it was rubbish. Why would the most stunning creature on this boring earth want a human for more than just being a blood bank?

I felt my arm being poked softly, once or twice until I snapped out of my day dream to turn to Jake. He slid a piece of paper towards me.

_Did you have a headache? _It wrote.

I shook my head and he took back the paper, writing on it quicker than any human writing pace.

_Did you have a stomach ache or monthly human icky problems to deal with?_

I couldn't help giggling at that last part and decided to go with that excuse. I nodded in agreement but Jake frowned. He shook his head.

I mouthed the words _'what?' _and he began scribbling again, avoiding my gaze. He passed me back the paper and I was surprised at what he wrote.

_Don't lie to me, Alexandra White. What's going on?_

When I looked up my heart sunk as he looked a little sad from my dishonesty. His concerned eyes bored onto me. Instead of returning his contact, I looked up at the board, trying to copy Mr. Leigh's coursework deadlines for this term. I felt his stare freeze on my writing arm and I saw that my sleeve had slid up slightly, revealing my obvious marks from yesterday afternoon, after my dad threatened to hit me again. I tried to cover my wrist but when I looked at Jake, I suddenly felt frightened. He looked really angry at me, not taking his eyes off of my hand. I didn't know what to say.

But before I could even attempt to talk to him, Jake shot up and stormed out of class and into the hallway. Mr. Leighs didn't even try to stop him, after all, what could he do? He was just a human.

I saw Maria run after him in a hurry, although she did excuse herself from sirs' lesson. Upset and a little bit pissed off, I raised my hand a couple of minutes after the two vampires left the room, incase it looked a little suspicious.

"Sorry sir, could I go to the toilet please?"

My wish was granted and I sped out of the class room to go to the toilets. I ran down the hallway, my feet slamming against the tiled floor, making it echo throughout the building.

As I skidded near the girls' levorotary door, I heard two voices softly in midst of their conversation. I leant against the wall, too scared to peer around the corner to see Maria and Jake, probably hugging and kissing or something. I felt jealousy rise up in me like hot fire, creeping up my throat; I wanted to scream!

"Jake, just tell me what was wrong! You _never_ loose your rag and just storm off like that. Please, baby, what is it?" Maria pleaded. I felt sick just listening to her wine like that. She used her blonde hair and big brown eyes to look so innocent all the time, which was probably why she was so popular with the boys. Gosh, she got on my nerves.

"Maria, its nothing. I just didn't feel very well, that's all. Please do not worry over me. I just needed some fresh air, go back to class and I'll meet you in the cafeteria as soon as the bell rings." He said.

"Ok," she moaned back. "I'll collect your stuff. Save me a seat, ok babe?"

I heard him sigh. "Sure, what ever you want."

She giggled her annoying laugh and then chanted, "Love you Jakey-baby."

A tear threatened to break as I heard him reply those heart breaking words back to her, that I so desperately needed to hear him say to me.

"I love you, too." He said. I could here the sound of them kissing, and then prancing footsteps heading towards where I was standing. I dove into the girls toilets. Giving into the heavy load, I let my sobs break through. I hated her, _despised her_. Not because of her stunning beauty or her celebrity life style that I knew she had. No, I cried over Maria Delgaudio because she would have and always will have the one thing that I couldn't seem to keep a hold of.

"Alex?" A voice asked behind me.

I gasped as the sudden words startled me. I spun round to see Jake.

"Jake! What the hell are you doing here? This is the girls' toilet." I said.

He gave a small chuckle.

"Well, I heard you when you darted into the toilets so I thought that I'd come see you." He answered. Again, I gave into the tears, but this time they came harder and louder. Jake took me in his arms, holding me tightly against his cold, hard chest.

"Shh… Maria, calm down. What is it?" He murmured into my ear. He stroked my hair, which surprisingly calmed me down a great deal.

"I- I'm sorry Jake. _I am_, it's just I heard you say that you loved Maria, and I… I just couldn't help it. I'm so sorry!" I cried. I really was, I didn't want to pressurize him into choosing between us or anything but I couldn't help thinking, no; knowing that it wouldn't be me.

Jake sighed deeply. "Oh, Alex…" He pulled me back and looked me, smiling deeply. "I'm so sorry you had to hear that."

I looked up at him sadly. "But you meant it though, right?"

Jake placed a stay bit of my jet black hair behind my ear. We stared at each others eyes, waiting to see who will brake first.

"Ok," He started. "I admit that I _do _still have feelings for Maria somewhere. But you… God, Alex, _you're _the one that makes me go crazy when I can't be near you, when I can't even see you. Or touch you! _You're_ the one I think about everyday, not Maria. _You're_ the one that I need to have to survive, not Maria. And _you're_ the one that I truly love with all my cold, dead soul. It will always belong to you, whether you want it or not."

I couldn't stand it anymore. I needed him, right now! I slammed my lips to his, kissing him passionately. He kissed me back. Jake slid his tongue against my teeth, begging for entrance. I opened my mouth letting him tackle me playfully with his tongue over and over again. I pulled back a moment to say exactly what I felt right now. "I love you, Jake Young."

He grinned. "I love you too, _my_ Alexandra White." And then, he kissed me again, not letting go of me.


	2. Like i said, I dont care

"Cheesy Pasta, please." I asked the dinner lady as she filled a take-out cup and passed it over to me. I thanked her and handed over my dinner card.

It had just gone past 1.10 in the afternoon and lunch time had already started to go terribly slow. I went to sit on my usual table, with the only friends that I had in this school. And surprisingly enough, I was the only human in our 'gang'.

First of all there was Ryan. He was a vampire, and my best friend. He was very strong and way too protective. He had jet black hair like mine that always seemed to hang over his eyes. He had very light brown eyes, but they always grew black when he got angry or hungry. He was slim but strong and he always seemed to worry about me. I hadn't even told him about my father and he hadn't noticed my cuts. _Yet_.

Then there were the werewolves: Tina, Lucy, Dylan and Cole. Both Lucy and Tina were blonde but Tina was a darker colour, with green eyes and a curvy body that any guy would crave. Lucy was short and kind. She was the first person who ever started talking to me in this place- always the chatty one. Dylan was the youngest and hell did he show it! He was the one who always had as in stitches, either because of his clumsy side or his good sense of humor. But it was mostly because he would fall over about three times a day. Cole was the muscular, show off wolf. He was very muscular and liked to show it, always taking his top off when the chance came. He had short blonde hair and _everyone_ knew he had a **huge** crush on Tina. Then last but not least were the twins- Mika and Amelia. Both girls had golden hair, Mika's was short and Amelia's almost came down to her thigh, tying it up all the time. They reminded me of bright, bubbly fairies; always smiling and brightening the room as soon as they appear. They were shape shifters, but the schools wristbands kept them in they're regular form.

"Alex, come on! Stop day dreaming!" My friends laughed at me as I stood in the middle of the dining hall, staring into space. I laughed with them and sat next to Ryan, peering at his mobile. He turned to look at me, chuckling as I watched him play games online.

"Cheesy pasta, again? Alexandra, are you trying to starve yourself?" Lucy giggled. I stuck out my tongue and returned to my pasta.

"So, how about we all go see the new Harry Potter film after school? Its on late tonight, it could be fun." Tina suggested. Ryan and I both scoffed. "Oh, come on you two! Stop ruining it all for everyone else."

"Why can't we go see something scary?" Cole moaned. Dylan looked uncomfortable.

"How about a comedy?" He said and everyone seemed to like that idea.

"Why don't we just hang out at your place, Alex? I haven't seen your house yet; I'd like to see what its like." Ryan said, glancing at me while trying to finish his game.

I panicked. I could never have my friends round my house, ever! All my friends except for Ryan knew about my dad and how I'd cut myself in an emotional outburst. But thankfully, Mika interrupted before I could even say a word.

"Didn't you say your dad was painting the house though, Alex? I'm sure your father would not want us to inconvenience him like that. How about our place? Mum wouldn't mind, would she Amelia?" she turned to her sister. Amelia nodded and looked up from her lunch to smile at me. I smiled back gratefully to herself and Mika.

Ryan put a long, cold arm over my shoulder like he always did and chuckled slightly.

"Fine, we'll go round the twins' house, _again_! But don't blame me if Dylan breaks the bed again." Ryan sniggered and everyone else laughed too, apart from Dylan.

"I did not break it! For god's sake, it was the stupid beds fault anyway. Since when do beds brake when you jump on them? I mean really! Besides, I'm not that heavy." He shouted at us. I tried to stifle my laughs, not succeeding. Ryan was nearly on the floor dying, his whole body shaking with laughter.

"Stop it Ryan, it's so not funny!" Dylan moaned.

When Ryan couldn't stop, to our surprise Dylan flew over the table, slamming Ryan to the floor. Both boys growled and snarled at each other. We knew they were playing around with each other, but they were really going at it!

Ryan was now on top of Dylan, snarling wildly and slamming his fists into the side of his cheeks. I already knew that Dylan could hardly fight back because of the wristband but he was still pretty strong. He kicked Ryan, sending him flying across the cafeteria. By now every student was up on their feet, cheering "wolf!" or "Vamp!" over and over again.

I was getting pretty scared; I didn't want two of my best friends hurt because of some silly joke so I stood ready to intervene. Ryan came running forward, his hand shaped like he had his claws ready and a snarl on his face that clearly said it wasn't a joke anymore.

Quickly, stood in front of Dylan, but as I did so, Ryan's hand came slamming forward, clawing at my cheek. Gasps came from everywhere as my cheek suddenly felt warm. Ryan stood still, breathing deeply to control his anger; his eyes were full of fear and regret.

Then I felt it. The shear pain of flesh being torn filled my body as I screamed in pain. Blood dripped into my hands as I cupped them under my cheek. After a second of panic, everyone tried to help me. Students tried to find teachers , running and shouting their heads off.

"Oh my god… Alex, I'm – I didn't know, I –" Ryan tried to apologize but before I could say anything, I was swooped up into some ones arms, some one strong and very cold.

I turned and gasped.

"Jake? What the hell are you doing! You shouldn't even be near me. Drop me, quick before-" I said.

"Stop it, Alex. I don't care right now! Your hurt and I am not going to just stand there to wait for one of you _so called friends_ to take you to the nurse." Jake sighed and tried to look calm. "You'll be ok, Alex, just keep breathing."

"I know I'll be alright, but surely Maria is going to seem a little…_suspicious_…now." I whispered as the whole school was buzzing around me, but no one was really paying attention to our conversation. I kept on cringing as the pain really was getting to me.

"Like I said; I don't care." He said and quickly looked at me, smiling sweetly.

I smiled back, holding onto him tightly. He really liked me. I felt like the luckiest human alive.

I sat in the medical office for a long time, on my own. The nurse said no visitors, so Jake had to leave me, but lucky for me he sneaked me a quick peck on the cheek.

As much as I refused, it was no use – they made me drink a little vampire blood to heal the wound faster and would only leave light claw-like scars. After sitting in the waiting room for what seemed like hours, the nurse allowed me to go to the last 15 minutes of our last lesson: Science. Urghh, I hated science!

"Alex! Are you alright? That cow from the medical office refused to let us come and see you." Amelia cried out as soon as soon as I opened the door. Everyone stared at my bandaged cheek, some smiling kindly, some whispering to each other.

I went to sit by Mika and Amelia. It was just us in science, oh and Dylan sat behind us.

"I'm fine." I laughed. "It was nothing. But that bitch did make me drink vampire's blood; to heal the wound by the end of today."

Mika and Amelia both made a face and I laughed. It was disgusting but I was over it now. Then I turned round to see Dylan with his head down while sniffing back tears.

"Dylan?" I said cautiously. His head perked up and I could see that he had been crying earlier. His eyes sparkled with hope.

"You still want to talk to me, Alex?" He asked desperately.

I chuckled. "Na, just checking that was still your name. Jeez, Dill, of course I still want to be friends with you, you silly idiot. Besides, you did nothing wrong!"

"Maybe, but if I hadn't started that stupid fight, you wouldn't end up with scars on one side of your face. I'm sorry. I really am." He mumbled, his eyes soaking up again.

I got up from my seat and walked over to where he was sitting and hugged him tightly.

"Don't be." I whispered, stroking his back.


	3. tools of torture

**Right, so... we have a few new characters so let me help you out with this:**

**Ryan (bestfriend) - vampire**

**Lucy - werewold**

**Tina - werewolf**

**Dylan - werewolf**

**Cole - werewolf**

**Mika and Amelia (the twins) - shape shifters (MUM - LOUISE)**

**so this is chapter three. it gets a little girly but hell, thats not a bad thing. I hope you enjoy it, yes i also mean you charlotte XD**

**Meggss xoxo**

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"Ok, guys. Remember homework is due in Monday and no later! You may go when the bell sounds." Mr. McCartney bellowed. I always despised our science lessons; always too harsh and our teacher was boring and dreary, but my friends were in this class so that was good. And I had only been in lesson for 15 minutes anyway because of the incident. I had already taken off my bandages and all that was left were a few scratch mark scars.

I turned round to chat to Dylan, Mika and Amelia.

"So, what time is everyone else heading to yours?" I asked.

"Straight after school, actually. Dylan and the boys have to see the head teacher first, you know, to talk about what happened today." Amelia answered cautiously.

"Cool, I'll walk with you guys then."

"Oh yes! That means we can dress you up again!" Mika squealed.

I moaned. Dropped myself straight into that one! Dylan laughed at my pissed off face along with the girls.

"No, please!" I begged, but as usual it was no use. Once the twins minds were set on something, nothing, and I mean nothing, would change their minds, so I just gave up.

"Nope. Sorry, Alex but we have to have our fun _somehow_!" Mika giggled. I rolled my eyes at her and then realised something.

"Oh my god... Is Ryan ok? Is he hurt? Is he coming tonight? Oh shit, I should have told him everything was ok between us before I left the cafeteria-" I said. But Dylan calmed me down before I could have a panic attack.

"Alex, chill! Ryan's fine, he's just a bit shaken up about what he did. And he said he needed to apologise to you as soon as possible, so yeah, he will be coming tonight." Dylan laughed at how quickly my breathing sped up.

"Oh man, he doesn't need to apologise! He didn't do anything wrong." I muttered.

"Alexandra, he tore skin off of your cheek. Of course he's going to want to apologise to you. He's really cut up at the minute; desperate to see you, so when you see him make sure you let him say what he needs to say, otherwise he'll never forgive himself." Amelia said, resting her hand on top of mine to relax me. Amelia was always the most sensible out of the gang. I sighed heavily.

At that moment, the bell rang out through the school, piercing my ears.

We met Lucy and Tina up at the big school gates. As soon as we passed through, our wristbands suddenly felt looser. I took mine off, shoving it in my bag.

Mika and Amelia's house was just next door to the school so it was a very short walk.

The instant we walked through the door, Mrs. Reardon stormed at us, encircling all us girls into a massive bear hug. We all laughed and shifted about uncomfortably until we were released.

"Oh my, haven't you girls gotten big!" She laughed. "It has been far too long. It's so good to see you!"

We all laughed. "It's good to see you too Mrs. Reardon."

"How many times do I have to tell you girls to call me Louise? Would you like a drink before the big

Par-tay?" She said. She spread the word 'party' out into two words and stretched it way too long for it to sound cool, but with Mrs. Reardon's face, no one would ever care.

Louise was beautiful. Like an angel fallen directly from above. Her hair and eyes were identical to her daughters. She looked more like their sister than their mother. She was curvy and thin, the way any mother would kill to look. She was a shape shifter too, of course. She preferred to stay in her original form. Her husband said that there was no point in wasting much beauty, which was a shame cause he was hardly ever around to see it because of his work.

We all shook our heads but before we could talk some more, both Mika and Amelia took our hands and yanked us upstairs to their huge room.

I sat down of Mika's black king size bed – the Reardon's had always been loaded – but all of a sudden, the four girls surrounded me, grinning from ear to ear. I gave a huge groan when I realised that they wanted to start with me.

"Alright, this is what we're going to do. Mika: you pick the outfit. Tina: you're in charge of make-up. I'll do the hair and Lucy can pick the shoes." Amelia ordered sternly.

Everybody ran off to get their jobs ready while Amelia pulled me into her desk chair. Her desk was covered in make-up and hair tools for torture and jewellery. _Man, did I pick the wrong friends_, I joked in my head.

Mika was the first one ready. She held up a short, beautiful dark red corset dress with black lace. I gasped, for the gorgeous design and the fact that there was no chance in hell that I would wear it. _Way _too embarrassing.

"Perfect!" Amelia giggled. "Ok Mika, your job is done; you can go get dressed now." And with that, Mika skipped of to there huge walk-in wardrobe to pick for herself.

"Oh come on, Amelia, that's way too formal!" I moaned, staring at the stunning dress on the bed.

"Nonsense! I told the boys to come dressed smartly so we could make it into a proper par-tay." She copied her mothers' words. "And no one told you because you'd moan. So stop moaning and let me play with your hair!"

"You mean torture my hair!" I wailed but she only laughed. She began working on my wavy hair, curling it so it looked nicer. I must admit, I did like my hair curly.

After what seemed like hours, Amelia told me she was finished and sighed in relief, getting up to look in the mirror. I liked it, but the worst was yet to come.

I was pulled back by Tina, who already had the blusher in her hand ready. She didn't exactly go for the natural look; she covered my lashes in mascara and put on pencil eyeliner. Then she made my lips stand out by slobbering them in bright red lipstick. Again, I liked what I saw. I let the others change into their own outfits while I shifted about into the beautiful red dress. I gasped at how tight it was but as the twins always said, beauty is pain.

Finally, Lucy had chosen small black heels that were fairly easy to walk in. I knew that seeing as we would be indoors, I would sneak them off after 10 minutes.

I stumbled out of the bathroom to see everyone else changed.

"So how come you guys got to pick my outfit but I'm not allowed to pick yours?" I asked in a sarcastic pissed off voice. They all laughed at me.

"Because you suck at dressing yourself, let alone us!" Tina Bellowed, making everyone erupt into giggles.

I had to admit, they were right. Lucy was in a lovely yellow dress that fell just above the knees like mine. Tina was wearing a silky dark green halter neck with white jeans and the highest heels you have ever seen! Mika and Amelia were wearing matching skirts but different plain tops. Amelia – white and Mika – black.

"Wow Alex, you look fantastic!" Lucy gasped. I laughed and twirled round.

"You really think so?"

"I know so! God, we should have invited Jake as well then he'd fall flat on his face tonight." She laughed.

"What?" I said confused.

Everyone smiled at each other.

"Oh come on, Alex! It so obvious you like him. You're always looking at him from across the classroom, the way he ran over to save you today; you so like him and he might even like you back, Al." Lucy giggled.

My mouth dropped open. I couldn't say a word. How could they have noticed? I was so careful!

"Oh don't look so gobsmacked sweetie. We all think you two look so cute together." Amelia reassured me. Everyone nodded and I could only think of one thing to say.

"Really?" I mumbled. I felt a grin spread across my face.

"Hell yeah! Why don't you invite him tonight? My mum has his sisters' number if you want..." She looked at me hopefully.

Thinking after a minute, regretting it as soon as I did it, I nodded. Everyone laughed and squealed and woo-hooed.

I couldn't help smiling to myself.

"Fine. But I'm not asking him!" I giggled with them.

"I'll do it!" Mika called out before anyone else could intervene. She ran downstairs to get the number off of her mother.

"Hello, is that Molly? Hi, this is Mika Reardon. I'm in your geography class? Yep, that's me." Mika laughed. "May I talk to your brother Jake please? Thank you, yes bye. Hello? Yeah, hello Jake, it's Mika. Yes, Alexandra's friend." Everyone apart from Mika and me giggled nervously. "Umm...We were wondering if you'd like to come to a little gathering at our house tonight." She paused. "Yes, Alex would like you to join us tonight." Now all of us squealed. "Ok then. Yes, just a couple of doors down from your house. Yep, ok then, we'll see you in half an hour then. Bye." The phone beeped off.

We all squeaked like little girls and clapped our hands as if we'd just won the lottery. Then we heard a knock at the door, and just a second, I thought it was Jake.

"Girls: Dylan, Cole and Ryan Are here. Should I send them up?" Louise called upstairs. I suddenly felt conscious of how I looked and ran to the bathroom for a final make-up check. Everyone behind me laughed.

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**So... I hope you all liked it cause i am enjoying writing it. Might not be able to add chapter 5 after chapter 4 because i now use my sisters laptop when shes not in.**

**OKKK so if you liked it then please click on review and i'll write more. BTW, im naming the review button Chippy cuz its a cool name and you all know it.**

**Your loving loyal freak, meggss xoxoxo**

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	4. I Don't Deserve You!

**Ok, this is a very short chapter because i didnt have much time to upload tonight**

**and also its very sweet and i like it. You can really start to feel the relationships between each other**

**or atleast i think so XD Enjoy fellow freaks xoxo**

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"Bloody hell!" Cole bellowed, staring right at us, well, mostly at Tina. She grinned, pushing out her chest so her boobs looked bigger.

"Hey Cole," Tina smiled, waving at him. Cole still looked gobsmacked from where I could see. I was still in the bathroom, watching the boys' expressions. Just then Dylan had come through the door, shoving right into Coles back.

"What the hell, Cole? You-" he stopped as soon as he saw the girls standing their in their gorgeous dresses.

"Hi there Dylan, so do you boys want to go downstairs?" Lucy suggested, gesturing her hand towards the staircase. The four girls left, leaving the boys dumbfounded until they finally woke up from their daydreaming to follow them.

I walked back into the room, out of the bathroom. I smoothed down my dress and ruffled my hair with my manicured hands.

"Here we go," I thought.

I skipped downstairs into the living room, smiling at the girls who had already seen me coming.

"Hello boys, you look great!" I laughed. Cole was dressed in a white t-shirt and jeans, just like Dylan, but he was wearing blue.

The boys turned to see me, their eyes widening as I stopped next to Mika.

"Jesus Alex!" was all Cole could say. Dylan smiled politely and kissed my cheek.

"You look great, Al." He said. Me, Mika, Amelia, Lucy and Tina sat on the black leather couches in the wide living room. The boys say on the fluffy white rug, a beer in hand.

"So wears Ryan?" Tina asked. As she said this, Cole glanced at her, seeming a tad upset. But she caught him looking and grinned at him, so he smiled right back. I wish they could just hurry up and get together, I thought.

"He's helping Mrs. Reardon." Cole said. "So what do you guys want to do?"

"Spin the bottle!" Mika clapped. I rolled my eyes but everyone else thought it seemed like a good idea, so I just went along. Mika went up off to get an empty bottle from the kitchen and Amelia put on a CD.

The first song was: _crushcrushcrush by paramore_

Just when Mika came in, my hand was taken from behind me. I turned to see Ryan. His eyes were filled with sadness and regret, but most of all – pain.

"Ryan?" I asked confused. He didn't say a word. He just pulled me up and led me out of the room and into the dining room. He pulled me over to a chair and looked down at me. I waited for him to talk. He paced up and down the room a few times and then finally knelt down and held my hand tightly.

"Ryan?"

"I am so sorry, Alex. I never meant to hurt you, I swear but I got so angry for a stupid, idiotic reason, and I took it out on you. I cannot tell you how much I hate myself right now. I was aiming for Dylan then you stepped out in front...and, and then when I saw the blood – your screams! My god, I can't believe I did that to you!" Ryan cried. His eyes swelled up with tears and he leant his head down on my knees. I stroked his jet black hair softly, over and over for a few minutes until his sniffles dies down.

"Shh. Ryan, please, it really doesn't matter! It's only a bunch of scars now that I can hardly see. It's fine! You don't even need to apologize; I knew you never meant to hurt me." I whispered gently.

He looked up at me and his face looked even more pain filled by the second.

"I don't deserve you, I really don't." Ryan muttered. He cupped his hand onto my cheek and smiled deeply.

"You're my best friend Ryan. You always will be as long as you'll have me." I bent down to kiss his cheek gently. When I moved back up, he seemed a little sad although he grinned up at me.

"Come on then, princess. Lets go play truth or dare."

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**Incase you guys didnt know already, PARAMORE ARE AWESOME!!! i love them xP**

**ok so i like this chapter even though it wasnt the best**

**i shall write more soon but i might give up if you guys dont click that little button named chippy over there. LOL**

**Press on chippy the review button and i'll be happy**

**much love and insaninessessess,**

**meggss xoxoxoxo**

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	5. Worth The FrostBite!

**OkeyPokey, this is chapter 5. I hope you enjoyed it so far and that everyone who is reading this clicked on Chippy (REVIEW BUTTON)**

**This chapter is dedicated to Mr. RyanMarshall because lets face it, he is Uber cool !!!**

**And hes a freak like me, which helps. Dedications for future chapters are given to reviewers (MINI CHIPPIERS)**

**Enjoy, meggss**

**xoxo**

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"Hurry up you guys! We've already started in here." I could hear Lucy moan, which was very unlike her. We came back into the living room laughing with Ryan's hand draped over my shoulder. Everybody else was sitting in a circle on the big fluffy rug, like little three-year olds at a birthday party. I sat next to Lucy and Ryan sat down next to me. He let his head lean on my shoulder.

"Ok, Cole your next." Mika giggled. Cole span the empty wine bottle and it pointed right at Tina. Typical!

"Truth or Dare?"

She smiled. "Dare."

At that point everyone was smiling because we all knew what was coming next…

"Kiss the person you fancy in this room." Cole declared. Tina eyebrows arched but knowing her, she would be even more of a tease than she already is. Poor Cole.

But we were definitely surprised when Tina crawled over to me and Ryan. For a second I panicked. I never thought of Tina to be a lesbian but thankfully, her head was pointed towards Ryan. My eyes widened and so did his. He removed his head from my shoulder and looked gob smacked at Tina.

She didn't just peck him on the cheek; she went for a fall frontal snog. Everyone looked disgusted and overwhelmed with shock, apart from Cole who looked absolutely infuriated with Ryan. But thankfully –and I don't know why I was so happy about this- Ryan kept his lips still as could be. Finally Tina pulled away seeming very happy with herself. She watched Cole who seemed to be continually glaring at Ryan. Ryan's eyes were wide and a little freaked out. Ok, a lot freaked out if I wanted to be accurate.

Funnily enough, I felt my eyebrows pull down into a frown, right at Ryan. He looked at me, his face still the same as it had been for the past minute. He stared dumbfounded and then finally, he went back to leaning his head against my shoulder.

"Ok… Who's next?" Amelia mumbled.

The next couple of truths and dares were given to everyone apart from me thankfully. Everybody always seemed to ask who they fancied or who they used to have a crush on. Apart from Ryan who was asked whose his best friend in the whole entire world was and he looked at me straight away, no doubts. I was so thankful he didn't feel so bad anymore; I hate us being separate from each other. Ryan and I were like crackers and cheese, Strawberries and cream, Tina and Cole or Lucy and Dylan.

"Hmm, Mika. Truth or dare?! I asked. She grinned from ear to ear and answered dare. I thought for a second and then replied, "Shape shift into your favourite celebrity."

"That's an easy one!" She complained but did it anyway. In a blink of an eye she had turned from regular, beautiful Mika and into gorgeous, super thin Keira knightly.

Beside me, Ryan suddenly came to life and chuckled.

"That is your favourite celeb?" He said surprised.

And in Keira knightly voice, Mika's words fell out of her lips.

"Sure, she's talented, thin, pretty-"

"Pretty fit is more like it." Ryan and Cole said at the exact same time.

I slapped the back of Ryan's head as he slobbered over Mika's new found look.

"Mika, please turn back quickly before the boys get too excited." I laughed. And within a blink of an eye, Mika was back to her old self, laughing hysterically.

Knock, Knock.

"I'll get it," Mrs Reardon yelled from the kitchen. We all listened to who it could be and as soon as a voice drifted from an open door, I knew exactly who it was.

"Oh, hello Jake. Nice to see you, please come in. It's far cold outside tonight." Mrs Reardon happily said.

"Good evening Mrs Reardon. Your daughters invited me round for tonight. I hope you don't mind." Jake said. His voice was always so polite, sweet and gentle.

"Of course not! And please, call me Louise. They're right through there" I mentally rolled my eyes at the twins' mother. She was always so bouncy and fun. I don't even think she knows how to be rude!

After a quick thank you and offers of drinks and snacks, Louise finally let him go. Jake walked into the living room and instantly our eyes made contact. I saw him grinning right at me but then he reluctantly looked away, greeting every one of my friends.

"Who's that?" Ryan whispered in my ear.

"Jake Young." I whispered back, still smiling at Jake.

"How do Mika and Amelia know him?" Ryan asked puzzled.

"They don't really. They invited him here for me to be honest." I smiled back. He frowned but kept his eyes on Jake now. Jake walked up to where I was sitting and sat right next to me, crossing his long legs. I flinched when his leg brushed my bare leg, blushing slightly.

"How are you?" He murmured next to my ear. I felt Ryan's eyes focused on us but I totally ignored him, smiling as Jakes breath made me dizzy.

"Very well now you've arrived."

"May I say how amazing you look tonight? Goddess worthy." He said huskily. I could feel my body melting into his voice. I gave a very girly giggle - unusual for me.

I replied, "You may but it's not true. I look like a frigging giant tomato!" I laughed. He shook his head in disapproval and took my hand in his. Slowly, he brought it up, bringing it to his lips to gently kiss it. His lips were so cold but hell - a kiss from him would always be worth the frostbite.

I sighed, feeling as if I was in heaven! He laughed gently and we both turned to play with the rest of my friends. Everyone was busy playing spin the bottle and hadn't seen our private moment.

"Alexandra, truth or dare?" Lucy sung. My little dream world was cut short at that moment and involuntarily, I answered dare.

She sharply clapped her hands once and shouted, " I dare you to play 7 minutes in heaven with… Jake!" She giggled hysterically as I gaped at her, not sure if the chatty devil was being serious.

But of course, Lucy being Lucy, she was perfectly serious...!

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**OOO" SAUCY! TIGGLE CHIPPY BY CLICKING ON HIM PLEASE**

**Love you guys. xoxo**


	6. 7 minutes are up

**I am really sorry guys for not uploading. My internet went bust so i had to go downtown after writing it at home.**

**But I might be getting a laptop for my birthday on the 23rd November so yey!**

**And because i feel super guilty i have written a few more chapters!!! Wooo!**

**Personally i hated writing this chapter cause i couldnt express the feelings enough and it was supposed to be pretty sad.**

**A few people have reviewed so and because my internet is screwed i didnt know who review first. So this chapter goes out to all my reviewers. Love you guys cause you keep me writing! XOXO ENJOY  
MEGGSS**

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"Are you kidding me? What are we, twelve?" I said sternly. Jake was next to me, chuckling at the idea of us together in an empty closet.

"Yes we are." Mika grinned. "Problem is there isn't a closet here that is empty enough to stuff them in there, let alone them_ doing_ stuff in there!"

"We won't be doing anything!" I screamed but everyone ignored me. They discussed where they could shove us. I kept on screaming and the only one that paid attention to me was Jake. He stood up, pulling me up with him. I moaned and he smiled which would normally relax me. But I knew what would happen! They'd put us where ever and listen in. So what was the point in even talking to each other when my friends would hear every single word?

"I got it! The walk in wardrobe! It's perfect, and it's the smallest space in this whole house anyway." Tina shouted. I rolled my eyes as all the girls chased Jake and me upstairs.

"Ryan, aren't you boys coming?" I could hear someone ask. He replied "No thanks," and then they continued to round us both into Mika and Amelia's huge room.

Suddenly Jake yanked me in. I fell onto the bed and saw the door slam shut, hearing only my friends' shouts of annoyance and the click of the door being locked.

"What are you doing?" I asked, laughing when he shouted over their screams.

"Ok, the seven minutes start now. Go downstairs, don't forget that I have really good hearing so I'll know if you sneak back upstairs." Jake ordered. I heard several moans and then light footsteps fade away.

Jake spun round and grinned from ear to ear.

"Oh, Jake!" I yelled. I sprung off of the bed and jumped into Jakes open arms. "Alone at last." I giggled. He laughed as well.

"Your friends were really kind - inviting me here at such short notice. But no way are they nuzzling in on our conversation." He paused for a second, staring into space while he thought. "Wait, how did they know about...me and you?"

I blushed. I waited for a second, trying top gather up my courage. "They said that they had noticed me...staring at you in class. I thought I was being careful, but obviously not careful enough! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to risk your relationship with Maria, but I don't think she suspects anything."

I looked down, slightly ashamed at the fact that I could have ruined his five year relationship. But I knew my friends would never tell on me, not in a million years.

Jakes cold fingers brushed my rosy cheek. He smiled at me. His eyes sparkled as they met mine, tying the contact into a knot.

"I don't want her, Alexandra." He murmured. He rapped his hand round the side of my neck carefully-he could snap my neck even if he twitched slightly- and the other around my waist, pulling me in closer. Ever so slightly he touched his lips to mine, making it not yet a kiss but something that meant a lot more.

"I've been thinking," He continued. "What's the point in spending most of my time without the girl I love? Sure, Maria will play up. Possibly attempt to kill me. But I can't keep this up anymore."

I gaze at him. My mouth drops to the floor and he chuckles in amusement. Once I could function my brain properly, I shut my mouth and started questioning his sanity. Was he kidding? She would tear him apart! And it's not just that; he was in love with her for five years! How could I take him away from that, even if he was willing?

"You're kidding, right, Jake?"

He shakes his head.

"Jake, you can't! What you and Maria have... I can't – I won't be responsible for ruining that, not permanently at least. It's not that I don't want you, because I do. I love you. I really do, but if I had what you both have, I wouldn't want anyone to take that away from me."

"But we will have that, Alex. You won't be ruining anything at all. It's all over for us anyway!" He pleaded. I could really see that my words had affected him. I felt his grip on me tighten; physically and emotionally.

"Please, no. I can't do it." I whispered staring across the room.

"No, you please, Alex! You're talking rubbish! I do not and will not stay away from you. I love you, maybe more than you love me...and – I understand." He paused for a second. His eyes searched mine as I looked away from him still. Jake let out a strained breath. I watched him then: frightened he might have taken this the wrong way.

"Ok. Ok baby, I get it. You should have told me." He mumbled. I stared, completely dumbfounded. "You'll find someone, don't worry. Humans are always staring at you in school; you'll have them dribbling after you in a matter of days."

If my mouth could drop any further, then I assure you, it would have. He thought that I was making up excuses? That I didn't want him because he was a _vampire_? God, no! That would never happen. I only want to be with him! He just shouldn't give up love for lust.

I pulled out slightly from his weakened embrace and shook him.

"No! No Jake, that's not it! I _do_ want you. Vampire or not, I love you will all my heart. But please, you _have_ to understand! Maria and you should not give up on your love _for me_." I shouted. I knew my friends would be able to hear me by now but I didn't even care. They could nose in if they wanted; in fact, I knew someone was at the door as soon as Jake quickly glanced at the door then turned back to me, frowning.

Suddenly, Ryan's voice came from behind the door, his clenched fist pounding on it. Somewhere, I thought – way, way, way in the back of my head – he was going to break it down.

"Alex! Alex, open up! We could hear you crying out."

"Go away!" I screamed, only just noticing how broken my voice was. But it was no good. He just kept on pounding his hand against the feeble door, hoping it would break.

"Open the damn door, Jake Young, now!" He snarled.

Jake stared at the door again and just before he reached for the handle, he muttered something like, "Seven minutes are up."

It was all a blur when the door was opened and Ryan came rushing through, yanking me into his steel chest. He snarled at Jake as if he was something dangerous. I tried to push away from Ryan but it was no use; I was way too weak against him and worse in this sort of state. I saw Dylan and Cole at the door too, angry and understanding flashing in their eyes. They both glared at Jake when he went past them.

But then Jake spun back round. He looked at me and calmly said, "I don't love her anymore, Alex. And I will not stay away from you." And with that, he was out of the house before I could even attempt to chase after him.

I could feel Ryan's gaze on me, right against my cheek. When I looked at him, I noticed he looked scared for me. But it was mostly the raw emotion that was anger.

"Alexandra, what did he do to you?" He said tightly, trying to keep the anger out of his voice. Trying, but failing.

And before I could even try to argue the fact that he hadn't hurt me at all, I broke down in tears as I fell to the floor in my blood red dress, with Ryan holding every breaking piece of me together.

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**If you enjoyed this please review and click on Chippy. Bye xoxo**


	7. Dead And Buried!

**I LOVED writing this dramatic scene. I feel really bad for Ryan. Im thinking of turning him Bad ass! :D**

**This one is dedicated to Ryan Marshall because i love him and he reviews the most out of the lot of you.**

**Please review. Love your freak leader.**

**xoxo**

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"Alex, you have got to eat something. You'll make yourself ill." My friends moaned at me, but it just went through one ear then out the other. We were sitting at our usual lunch table. Ryan had his arm round my shoulders as I snuggled into his side. Everyone stared at me with understanding eyes while they all ate and I just gave in to rest. Although I had been staying round the twins' house, I actually hadn't slept a wink for the past two days; eating was off the routine too.

"Please, Alex." Dylan whispered from the other side of me. Suddenly Ryan growled next to me. I felt like smiling as I felt his hard stomach vibrate, but I couldn't bring myself to move.

"Leave her alone, she's exhausted and doesn't need you guys moaning at her. She'll eat soon enough." Ryan ordered. Everybody seemed to frown at him.

"And if she doesn't?" Tina growled back.

"Then I'll shove something down her throat." He said back. I could hear the smile in his reply. I was grateful to Ryan. He knew I was hurting and just wanted to be left alone. I closed my eyes and relaxed, lying into Ryan numbly. At one point after class he asked if I wanted to lie in his lap on the field, but I refused. I wanted to be wherever my friends would be. Besides, if Jake was going to come in today, he'd head into the canteen like always. But I doubted that he would come in at all.

As if reading my mind, Dylan said kindly, "I'm sure he'll come in sometime, Al. He never missed school before, and he did say he wouldn't stay away from you."

I looked up at Dylan and tried – although I'm sure it looked quite awkward – to smile at him and croaked, "Thank you Dylan. But I don't think he will."

Everybody smiled pleasantly at me except for Ryan. Instead he spun his head to look at me and ordered, "Ok. Drink something before your voice goes."

I shook my head and tried to nestle back into his side until Ryan's hand pushed my head back up to his gaze. "I'm not asking, I'm telling." And with that he grabbed his bottle of water and put it to my mouth. As if I wasn't capable, he moved the bottle so the water could easily slide down my throat and then after a couple of sore gulps, he screwed the cap back on and pulled me back by my waist and kept his hand there.

"Jake, please! You can't do this to me!"

My head instantly came up. All my friends were looking behind me and I followed their stares to Maria. Her screams went through a phone that was pressed up to her ear. Her mascara was smudged all over her pale skin while she still cried, ignoring the entire canteen watching her with amused faces.

"No! This isn't happening! You can't do this. Not after everything that we've done together." She shouted down the phone. Her eyes were wide and agonized. I couldn't help feeling relieved and full of love, even though this was exactly what I was trying to avoid. "No, you do love me. Say it – say it!" She paused for a second and then deafened us with loudest scream possible. "Shut up! You do, we just – What?!? You lied to me! You dickhead, how could you?"

Several giggles and chuckles spread across the canteen but were abruptly stopped when she glared furiously across the large white room. Her glare darted right at me.

"I'm going to kill her. We'll see if you love her so much." She laughed manically then replied, "I've always been faster than you, Jake, and you can't stop me." She didn't move her eyes off of mine. I felt Ryan tense next to me, growling ever so slightly. "Run all you like." And with that, she snapped the phone shut and stood there, evilly looking at me. If looks could kill, I'd be dead and buried.

Maria suddenly ran straight for me, her hands ready to strangle the life out of me.

Everything was very quick then. I was picked up and shoved by one of my friends. My bet was on Ryan. But then I was dragged even further back by Tina and Lucy. The girls' hands were holding onto me. Mika and Amelia on my shoulders, Tina and Lucy in front; pushing me backwards into them. Cole and Dylan were in front of them ready, growling like mad with their teeth bared. If it wasn't for the wristbands, they'd change form right here.

Ryan was in front of them all. He snarled at Maria whilst crouching, ready to spring at her. He was like a wild cat, thirsty for blood. Although he wasn't thirsty. Just incredibly angry and protective.

Maria stopped. She didn't seem scared one little bit as she laughed, an identical laugh to the one she did on the phone; unstable.

"You seriously think _that_ is going to stop me?" She chuckled. And then she flew over us in one bound, right towards me. "I hate you!" She screamed as she tackled me into the hard floor. Pain shot through my back and through my skin.

Then she was thrown off me and into the wall. Several screams came from around me. Maria clattered to the floor but was not put off. She got straight up and shot straight towards me again.

My sight became unfocused and my thoughts became numb. Everything went black.

I suddenly felt exhausted – worse than before and incredibly warm, and weirdly comfortable. But it couldn't have lasted long; seconds or more, because as soon as my eyes flashed open, Maria was still running towards me. I thought, _I'm going to die, aren't I? _She was so close. Getting closer; her eyes were red with murder and want.

Then a blur tackled her sideways, right in front of me. A load smash echoed in the entire canteen, as if a thousand glasses were suddenly smashed right next to my ear. I turned my head to where I supposed I'd find Maria and my rescuer, but only to find the large window covered side of the room had been smashed as two figures rolled down the bright green hill. Blood was splattered on the edges of the cracked glass.

"Shit!" I heard Ryan exclaim.

"Jake!" I screamed. I tried to move, to pull myself to him, even if it meant rolling over the glass and down the hill to him. "Jake! Oh, my god. Someone help him. Jake!"

But I could not stand. I quickly looked round the area. Everybody was staring after the two vampires. I rolled over onto my front and dragged myself closer to the window. The aching, raw feeling of torn skin slithered all over my back. Broken tiles moved under me as I scrambled towards the broken glass, ignoring the shattered ice that cut my palms. I moaned and cried in grief and total shock of this afternoon.

Finally, I got close enough to see what everyone else stared at in these agonising seconds. Maria sat upright and clutched what looked like her broken arm. She screamed – worse than before! I was surprised that I could not hear her when I lied in the sea of broken tiles, digging and sliding into the torn gaps of my back.

Then I saw Jake. He lied on his front, face down in the dry grass, still. He was sprawled in the most uncomfortable way.

I angrily moved my head round, tears streaming down my cheeks, and screamed at Ryan. He stood there, shocked like the rest of the students, but he was staring at ... me!

"Ryan, go help him!" I ordered. Nothing, he still stared at me. "Fucking help him, now! Don't just stand their gawping at me, I'm fine. But he isn't!"

He seemed to come out of his little world slightly but only to look at my blood covered body. "But...Alex, look at you." He whispered.

I was already frustrated that I couldn't do anything for Jake right now, but Ryan, who didn't seem hurt in the slightest way apart from a few scratches, was standing there, still worrying about me!

"I'm alive, but Jake might not be, you useless twat! I can barely move but you can carry him. Now please, for the love of god, save him!" I spat. I knew I was being incredibly harsh but I didn't care right now, I needed to help Jake, one way or another.

Finally, something dawned in him. Ryan flew through the sharp gap in the window and leaped down the hill in one jump, landing just by Maria. He ignored her completely and fumbled around Jake. I sighed deeply and could feel the tiredness replacing the pain. Just after Ryan had sprung to action, everybody in the canteen jumped up ready to hep too. Most of my friends came over to me too. I recognised all my close friends' voice and a lot of different, less common ones too.

"Oh, Jesus Christ, Alex! Why is it always you that ends up like this?" I heard Sam – the class clown – joke, though his voice sounded blocked up with emotion. I laughed it off. Dizziness over took me but I realised it was starting to be true. First with Ryan, now with Maria. I wondered who was next.

"Alexandra, the teachers are here. We've already called the ambulance. It should be here any minute." That was Georgia. I was never too keen on Georgia, she was the spoilt, Barbie girl type that thought everybody loved her; she was a human friend of Marias. I bet she just craved some attention in this supposed lime light.

I couldn't see anything, even though I was positive my eyes were open. The pain was coming and going. My fingers clawed what was left of the floor, once in a while hitting glass and getting small paper cuts; nothing compared to what the overall pain felt like. "How's Jake? Is he alright?" I gasped.

And then, I heard the one voice I never knew would make me cringe away.

"He's fine, Alex." Ryan said, out of breath. "He is in the nurse's office, asking for you – well shouting's more like it. I can still hear him now! They said he was just knocked out and scratched by the glass. They can't take him to the hospital because he's a vampire, so he's just gonna drink some blood to gain his strength." Then he let out a strained breath that broke near the end. "I'm sorry, Alex. I didn't mean-"

"Don't ... I _do not_ want to hear your _stupid_ excuses." I muttered interrupting him, almost breaking down into tears. My body relaxed into the uncomfortable floor. I knew people would think I'd fainted for the second time today. I didn't want to speak to anyone right now but I could hear hushed voices still. I wasn't sure if I was making them up until I heard the obvious sound of an ambulance outside.

"God, I'm sorry Alex." Ryan whispered. I knew he was crying as his voice continued to stumble and break. "Forgive me, please, forgive me. I can't believe this. I am so, so sorry. Forgive me." He mumbled over and over again until I felt myself being raised. I held my groans when my sore back protested as I was carried to what I imagined was a stretcher.

"What's her name, son?"A strange deep voice spoke.

"Alex." Ryan answered, still teary.

"Can you tell me what happened?"

"The girl outside, Maria, attacked her. Then Alex's ... boyfriend...Jake, he tackled Maria right through the window. God, is she going to be ok?"

"She'll be fine, I assure you. Are the other two human?"

"No." Ryan muttered. "Vampire."

"Urghh." The man muttered. Ryan didn't even attempt to defend what he was, like he usually would. _I must have affected him pretty badly_, I thought. But I refused to feel guilty. All was silent for a while apart from their footsteps.

"Can I come with her?" Ryan begged.

"It's really up to her." The deep voice argued. I could hear a lot of movement when I was being pushed up into the ambulance. "Would she want you to? You two seem pretty close."

As the man got in, I felt as if my heart froze for Ryan's reply.

"No." He muttered. "No, she wouldn't want me."

And with that, the ambulance doors banged shut and the engine started to purr.

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**This is the longest chapter i've written so far. I love it. review. xoxo**


	8. I Should Have Been There

**This was an annoying chapter. Again, im not really feeling it but i hope you are.**

**Not in a dirty sexual way. Lmao**

**Dedicated to Miss Charlotte Coleman because she nicked my printed work.**

**Love you guys and click on Chippy. I'll write soon after i get my Laptop.**

**Meggss Northyoooo! XOXO**

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"How are you?" Lucy asked nicely, stroking my arm up and down. She was calming me, soothing my nerves. All I could think about was Jake. Was he alright? Where was he? Was he talking to Maria? I felt angry just at her name.

"I'm fine. Really, this was so unnecessary!" I moaned, sitting up in the hospital bed. Tina and Lucy laughed at me.

"Babe, you had to have stitches all across you back. _Of course_ this was necessary!" Tina laughed but her face was very tangled with different emotions. Out of everyone, Tina and Ryan were the most affected out of all my friends. Tina had burst into tears when I had 'fainted'. I could hear her and everyone else. Mika had been here, Amelia, Lucy, Tina, Dylan and Cole had been here too. But not Ryan.

"So how is he?" I asked the girls, knowing they'd know who I was desperate to know about.

"Umm... I don't actually know, Alex. Mika has actually-" Tina started until the curtain was dragged open and in came a bouncy black haired our age looking girl.

"Alexandra White?" the beautiful girl rang.

"Err, yes? Can I help you?" I laughed at how excited and flushed she looked. After the pain relief, I had just been feeling numb.

"Hey, Mika sent me. When I heard about what happened I just had to check on you! I'm Molly. Molly Young?" She smiled.

"Oh," I mumbled, smiling back at her. Suddenly she pulled a bunch of flowers from behind her back. Red roses were shoved in front of my face and I couldn't help but grin from ear to ear.

"These are from Jake."

"Really!" I gasped. Her smile got even wider as she nodded enthusiastically. Tina and Lucy grinned at each other. "How is he? Do you know where he is?" I blurted out.

But Molly shook her head.

"Well, I'm not too sure _where_ he is, but I do know that his sick with worry about you. He called me as I was on my way here."

"Oh," I mumbled again. All I really wanted was Jake and to know if _he_ was ok.

Soon enough I felt too tired to say a lot so Molly kindly put the flowers on the side table and told me to get well soon.

I glared at Lucy and Tina. "You knew she was coming?"

Lucy still couldn't help smiling but Tina had managed to compose herself.

"No, but we were about to tell you that Mika had tried to get hold of Jake by ringing his sister. Then she called the school to speak to him."

I groaned from the pain and the pain from not seeing Jake. I missed him like hell! We never should have had that stupid fight. It wasn't even worth it! But he shouldn't have told her either, at least if he had to, not over the phone.

Again, the curtain was pulled back and Dylan walked in. He grinned at me and held a bunch of clothes in his hands with a pair of trainers neatly lying on top.

"Doctors say if you take the pain killers regularly you can come home. But you have to be watched and have plenty of sleep so...Amelia and Mika agreed that you can sleep round theirs this week." He said as he came forward with the pile of clothes and gently put them next to the flowers. "I didn't think you'd want to stay in those old clothes so I bought you some joggers and a t-shirt. They were only cheap from the little side shop downstairs."

I smiled weakly at Dylan. He walked closer to hug me and then stood back next to the two girls.

"So, I better be off. Louise is coming over to pick you up. She'll be here in half an hour. And, err... she's already spoken to your dad."

The thought of dad made me shudder. I hadn't seen him in three days and was glad that I wouldn't have to for another week. I was also glad at the fact that I didn't have to call him and explain everything.

"Ok, so I best be off. Tina, Cole is coming over to pick you up and Lucy, Mrs Reardon is dropping you off in her car." Dylan waved, not before kissing me goodbye on the cheek and said, "I'll see you girls tomorrow."

When Dill was gone, I sighed heavily and pulled myself off of the bed with a little help from Tina and Lucy, grabbed the clothes and my old trainers then walked off to the ladies' to get changed.

The toilets weren't too badly decorated. The walls were a bright sunny yellow with kindergarten drawings all over. It reminded me of a nursery but with sinks and cubicles. I headed into one and struggled to get changed with my sore back. I grimaced as I pulled on my t-shirt and then slipped into my joggers.

I stepped out of the cubicle and reviewed my appearance. I looked how I normally looked during P.E but with my hair all messy and knotted.

What a day this had been. First Maria attacked me. Then I feared for my new boyfriend's life –oh, how good it felt to call him that. Next, I pissed off my best friend and scared my other mates half to death. And finally, once again, I am not going to be able to have a good nights sleep because my bloody back has been torn to shreds, let alone been stitched back together again!

"Al? Alex, are you ready? Mrs Reardon is almost here." A knock at the door snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Coming Lucy." I yelled back, pulling my hair up into a ponytail for once. With no make-up, I thought I looked shit. But I trusted my girls and they promised that I looked fine.

"Oh, and I forgot to say. There's a person that needs to talk to you. It seems pretty urgent." Lucy pushed. She seemed a little excited. Not at all like a person whose friend just ended up in hospital. I dragged myself out of the ladies' toilet and linked my arm through Lucy's.

"Who is it?" I asked confused. She led me back to my bed and shrugged her shoulders. A small smile was hidden in the corner of her lips. I would have asked what the big secret was, but when we got to my little curtained space, I knew exactly why she was smiling.

"Alex!" Jake gasped, leaping off of the bed and scrambling his arms around my waist. He pulled me in tight; the constant pain that was in my back seemed to die down supremely now that Jake was holding me.

"Jake, my god! Where the hell have you been?" I said pulling him even closer to me, as if I could bind our skins together.

"The school didn't let me go but when I heard from Molly I made a break for it."

I chuckled at that.

"Wow. Who knew that my goody-goody would define the teachers? You're becoming a right rebel! First running out of class, and then trying to kill Maria, now-" I started.

"Don't joke about that, Alexandra. You could have died." I pulled away from him to see that he had tears in his eyes. He held my waist sharply with one hand and brushed away my stray hairs softly with the other. "I don't know what I would have done ... if Maria had killed you, like I know she easily could, I would have squeezed her little neck until-"

"Hey! I'm here, I'm alive, so don't talk like that! And if anything did ever happen to me, promise me you _will not_ resort to murder. Promise?" I bullied. If anything did ever happen to me that would make him start killing students, then it would only make everything worse.

He shook his head and I frowned. "I'm not promising anything." And then he picked me up swiftly. I gasped – I didn't see that one coming. He led me onto the uncomfortable bed and pulled me into his lap as he lied down. I hooked my arms round his neck as he placed his hands onto my back as if they weren't even there. I smothered my face in his top; his scent covered my nose and I became limp as it enveloped me.

"Alex, I am so sorry about before. I should have been there."

Instead of saying "It wasn't you fault" or "That's nonsense" like I usually would, I felt insecurity creep up my throat as I asked silently, "Where were you?"

He breathed out a heavy breath and kissed the top of my head. For a few seconds he ignored my question. For a second I even thought that maybe he didn't hear me until he answered.

"I tried meeting up with her at her house like we agreed. I was going to tell her everything there. But then she called and said she was at school and told me to come in. I knew she was playing round with me from the sound of her voice. Her shrill giggle. And I just got so angry with her...I had to tell her. I couldn't stand pretending. Pretending _not_ to be in love with you! And when she exploded like that... I swear Alex, I swear I tried to run before she hurt you. I didn't know she was so close to you. And then when I was at the doorway, and I saw you...bleeding..." He gulped down the vial memory and held me tighter. "I am _so_ sorry, baby. I won't forgive myself and I will _never_ let her hurt you again."

I turned my lips up towards his and pressed them gently together. Jake seemed desperate to apologise; he pressed his lips harder to mine and kissed me passionately. But after a minute, I pulled away. And I only just noticed that Tina and Lucy were no longer here. I laughed as I looked around the empty space.

"I think I have to go, Jake." I giggled. I felt my cheeks getting even rosier as I saw that the minutes had flown by.

"I know. Mrs Reardon is very kind to have let you sleep round this week. But I don't understand. Why don't you just stay round your fathers?" He asked innocently.

My cheeks got even hotter – not from embarrassment but from guilt and my dishonesty. I knew I was a terrible liar but how could I ever tell him the truth? I shook my head.

"He's busy painting the house. Besides, I don't want all those fumes getting me dizzy!" I laughed. "Anyway, I'll have fun with a house full of girls."

I thought he'd laugh too but instead he frowned at me.

"You stayed there before, right?"

I didn't say anything. I simply nodded. Again, Jake sighed and with a kind finger, he stroked my boiling cheek.

"Sorry." He muttered.

"Forget it." I laughed, kissing him again before pulling away to say, "You're here now."

"Can I visit you sometime?" He leaned his head towards mine and stroked his nose over my face, my lips, my nose.

I laughed, ignoring his nose snuggle and pulled him up with me. He groaned and kept trying to pull me into a hug as we walked through the corridor.

"Anytime, anywhere."

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**So what did we think? Tell me my loving freaks. xoxo**


	9. It's Only Me

**Hey, it's me again.**

**So this is the next chapter. I like this one, its sweet. Sorry i havnt updated, no laptop just yet.**

**But i have chapters for you so dont be greedy. ;)**

**Click on chippy! xoxo**

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"Alex? Are you alright?"

Amelia shook my shoulders and woke me up from my day dreaming. We were all sitting in the living room –Amelia, Mika, Louise and I. Watching the TV altogether was great. It felt like my family.

"Yes, I'm fine, thanks. Pass the popcorn, please." I said.

We munched on the popcorn and watched _Bride and Prejudice, _laughing, crying, until the doorbell rang. Mika cried that she'll get it as she skipped off to the front door in her pink pyjamas. She walked back into the living room with the biggest smile on her face.

"Who is it, dear?" Louise called, not taking her eyes off of the film once. But I thought I could guess who it was anyway.

"Hello everybody. Do you mind if I stay for a while?" Jake asked politely. He smiled straight at me and as soon as Mrs Reardon gave the all clear, he walked over to me and bent down to kiss my cheek.

"Hi." I whispered.

"Hey," He said. "Do you mind if I sit down?" I shook my head. He scooped me up into his arms and fell down onto the armchair. I lied on his lap, scooping my head into the crease of his arm. He leant his head on mine as we watched the film, Jake occasionally kissing the top of my head, my cheek, my shoulder and arm. I was barely aware that my friends and their mother kept seeking in cheeky glances. After five minutes, Jake moved his lips close to my ear and whispered to me.

"So, what exactly is this film about?" I laughed softly. "It's a Bollywood version of pride and prejudice. It's a good film, but honestly, I'm not exactly…focusing on the film right now." I smiled.

He moved closer to me, our lips almost touched, my heart pounded so hard that my cheeks grew red as I knew he could hear it.

"Calm down, sweetheart. It's only me." He laughed.

"Only you?" I giggled, blushing even wilder.

"Afraid so." He chuckled. "Slow your heat down, it's driving me insane." "Sorry." "Do not apologise. I love it, your young, wild heart - I love _everything_ about you!" I couldn't help my heart speeding rapidly. This only entertained him further as his kissed me sweetly. He moved his hand under my chin and pulled in my face closer to his. He moved his lips into a smile but I moaned and kept his lips on mine, not wanting him to stop.

"Get a room." A voice muttered from in front of us.

Jake chuckled and pulled away. "Sorry," he laughed. "I forgot I was a guest - how rude of me. I do apologise."

"Excepted. But f you'd like, you two could both go somewhere private; talking only though!" Louise put in quickly.

I shook my head quickly. "No, I want to stay here, with everyone I love." I looked up to Jake. "Please?"

"Whatever you want, Alex. If you're happy, then I'm ecstatic." I kissed his cheek as he smiled down at me.

He mouthed the words 'I love you', pulling me into a snuggle. A good half hour later I felt as if I could drift off to sleep in my happy little world. Everything was perfect. I had my friends – more like my family. I had the perfect night and now the perfect boyfriend, protecting me from the world around me. I didn't want anyone else, and I knew that for the rest of my human short life I never would. He was my all, my life, my entire reason of existence. And for some strange reason – I was his. I could have stayed like this forever.

"Someone's at the door." Jake frowned. "But they haven't knocked yet; they've been there for a minute or so." He stared past the hallway to the front door. Then a loud voice came from behind it. A voice that made me cringe and I knew that Jake noticed me shivering in his arms. He held me tighter, squeezing me as he whispered in my ear.

"Who is it, love?" He asked nervously but I couldn't say anything. My nightmares had finally come; I had know that someday they would. Perhaps this wasn't the worst nightmare that could happen. The first would be Jake leaving or something happening to him, or the thought of my best friends in danger. But this was still pretty close to the top.

"Alexandra! Get out of the house _right now_!" The voice rang from the heavy door. I was in a houseful of shape shifters and an incredibly strong vampire, but none of these things would ever make me feel safe around my father, especially when he was angry!

"Alexandra White!" He bellowed.

I suddenly got up from Jake's lap, his eyes were shocked but he wouldn't deny my freedom, of all things. I didn't want Jake to see dad like this. I didn't want Jake to see him at all, but I needed to open the door, in hope that this would at least calm him down a little.

As I yanked open the door, I heard someone mutter something like, "Please, don't, Alex." But I ignored it and met my fathers light grey eyes.

He surprised me; I had a picture in my head of him red eyed, furious – no idea where the red eyes came from! – and a bottle of beer in hand.

"Hello," I mumbled.

He grabbed my wrist forcefully and yanked me outside.

"Come on, you're staying at your own house tonight." He answered quickly. He sounded sober enough for me not to be quite so scared.

"Why?"

"We need to have a chat." He simply said as he dragged me by my arm to the black sports car. Dad had also been left a lot of money from our mother, but the only thing he ever spent it on was his car and alcohol supplies. He once had me buy him out of jail with my own money. Nothing this excuse of a man surprised me.

Like a policeman, he ducked my head down into the back of the car and then started to get himself in too.

"Mr. White!"

"Yeah, what do you want, kid?" My dad answered the stiff voice. Jake ran up to my shut door and pressed his hand against the window, keeping his face towards me, he answered my dad.

"Why does she have to go?" He said, looking sad at me.

"Because I said so! And quite frankly I do not see how it's any of your business!" He said angrily.

I moaned at Jake to stop, scared for him; he had no idea what my dad was like. And it wouldn't be him facing the consequences - it would be me when we got home. But Jake didn't realise that, he thought we were a normal family, simply feeling the grief of a lost mother and wife.

"Maybe you're right." He muttered and leant down to the clean window and kissed where my lips were, although they weren't pressed against the window like his. When he walked away, he muttered "bye" then finally looked away and waved goodbye to Mika, Amelia and Louise, who stood at the door looking one way then the other; watching us drive away and Jake walking back in the cold, back to his house.


	10. Slice

**Ok...this one is the nicest.**

**But it was really emotionally hard to write. I hope it adds to the whole story.**

**Enjoy Jake and Ryan fans.**

**Meggss xoxo**

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The journey home was silent, apart from dad's rough coughs, caused by his continuous smoking. His car stank of it! I had to hold my breath every time I got in the dreaded thing. When we got home I ran straight into the house and tried to make for my room, but dad made sure I didn't by screaming my name. I cowered into the living room as dad slammed the door shut, picking up another bottle on the way in.

He pointed a finger and had a on an expression that would make a murderer hide from.

"Who the hell was that?" Dad shouted at me.

"Who?" I mumbled, frightened.

"You fucking well know who! That boy who practically licked _my _window of _my_ car? Remember now?" He screamed, swinging the bottle in front of my face.

Everything that happened at Mrs Reardon's house was an act; he simply didn't want the police after him. As long as he acted cool he could get me into the car without the shape shifters trying to stop him.

I trembled and slowly walked backwards into the corner.

"He's my boyfriend, dad."

He stopped suddenly, scoffed then burst out laughing.

"Really, _you have a boyfriend_? I thought you'd die first before that ever happened. Well... congratulations then. Some one in this world _must_ love you." He chuckled.

I felt anger in me build up. I knew that my mother always had and forever will love me. He had no right to say that. But I never had raised my voice to dad after mum died; like he said, I'd end up dead.

"Shut up." I muttered and then headed for the door. But then dad grabbed my wrist and pulled me right up to him as he screamed in my face.

"Who the hell do you think you are, bitch? How dare you talk to me like that! Just shut your mouth when I'm talking to you. You're worthless. You make me sick – in fact, you made your mother so sick of you that you killed her!" He yelled. "You fucking killed her!"

"I didn't, I didn't, I didn't!" I cried, repeating it to both of us.

"You gave her so much stress; always asking for things, moaning at her when you didn't get your own way, and then it finally got to her!"

This was the worst thing he had ever said to me. Was it true? I can't remember, maybe I did moan at her too much. Oh, my god, what if it was true?

"Leave me alone!" I screamed at him, pushing and pulling at his fingers that curled painfully around my arm. After a few seconds, I'd had enough. I yanked free and pushed him into the wall. But I stood shocked as his back hit the edge of the fireplace, sending him slamming onto the wooded floor. The bottle smashed everywhere, most of the liquid covering my clothes, but still I had not moved. Dad was frozen, his eyes shut. He blacked out. My paralyzed body seemed to shiver even more. Had I killed him? Oh, god, I was a murderer; I'd killed my own father!

But to my relief he shook his head, clenching it with his hand. After a second of both of us doing nothing but staring, frozen in place, he sprung up onto his feet. His face was all tense, his eyebrows pushed down over his eyes.

Suddenly my chest was hit by a blow. I fell to the floor and slipped on the contents of the broken bottle. My face landed on a shard of glass. The red liquid oozed down my face like water, licking my skin as it travelled down onto my neck. My already sore back became painful and weak.

I screamed. My body shook.

And as if nothing had happened, dad put on his coat and stumbled heavily towards the door, mumbling something about _going out for a drive_. I hoped the evil sod would never come back. The door slammed shut. I was free for tonight – I could lick my wounds in peace, so to speak.

I tried to stand up. Pushing the glass away with my wet trembling fingers, I leaned on my right elbow and grabbed the coffee table desperately with my left.

I moaned at the pain – it seemed I'd been going through a lot of that recently – but from it I knew the only damage was a shallow cut on my cheek and bruises almost everywhere. Compared to earlier today, no harm was done really.

I crept onto the sofa, pulling up my t-shirt to my blood covered cheek. I held it there for a while, exhausted and aching.

Was he right, though? Had I killed my mother – with all my moaning and my apparent desperate need for attention? I missed her so much! I craved her loving blue eyes, her smile, her sense of humour and her easy way of calming me down. I remember her being the reason I'd look forward to coming home. She enjoyed baking muffins on a Friday afternoon; they'd always be hot from the oven by the time dad brought me home. Dad was pleasant too then. As I was an only child, we'd play in the garden together, running under the sprinklers in old clothes. He'd chase me into a sweet smelling towel and bring me in, wrapping both my mother and me in a loving hug. He adored my mother, now and then. She was his world, in fact! I just hadn't realised he blamed me for her death.

I cried. Hot tears spilled down from my eyes and swam in with the red blood. I wiped it all away. But the tears kept on coming. My eyes stung, my cheeks stung, my head ached and my heart was about to burst. I choked on my own breath – trying to calm myself was impossible!

A minute later I ran upstairs to my room.

"Stupid dad, stupid school, stupid life! Urghh, why can't it all just end on its own?" I yelled to no one. I slammed my bedroom door shut and fell on my bed, my tears soaking my pillow. "Why won't it just stop?"

Inside my head I begged for the will to just end it all myself, to make everything better by making everything in existence – for me – disappear. But I was too weak.

So I decided to punish myself instead – again. I felt like I deserved it, that I needed to do this for a reason no one could explain. All I knew was that everything built up. All the emotions built up inside my heart and I had...I just _had_ to get them out!

Running to the bathroom in a hurry, I tripped a couple of times and stubbed my little toe on the airing cupboard door. I swung quickly into the bathroom and locked it. Like last time, I'd sleep in here. I knew dad wouldn't be back till tomorrow afternoon so he would not notice.

"You deserve it. You deserve everything that's coming to you!" I muttered.

Yanking open the cabinet, I stared at the razor. Without a second thought, I grabbed it and brought it out onto my skin.

I breathed heavily.

_In. Out. In. Out. In. Out..._

I held in the yelp and stared at the blood that welled up then fell onto the clean white tiles of the bathroom floor.

_In. Out. In. Out. In Out...._

**Slice...**

_In..._

**Slice...**

_Out..._

I sank to the floor and dropped the blood covered tool in the sink and poured cold water over it. I leaned my head against the door and gave into the numb feeling that spread through my whole body, slowly like a drug. Oh, how I craved the feeling – the feeling of nothing. Before I drifted off to sleep I wrapped a clean towel around the wound. I breathed heavily.

"You...deserve...this." I choked out through the tears and drifted off into an uncomfortable sleep.

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**Right, your verdict please. xoxoxoxo**


	11. God Help Me!

**This isn't exactly my favourite chapter, it's really just a fill in.**

**But i like the end. EG - RYAN!!!**

**miss him much?**

**meggss xoxo**

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"Alex!" The girls yelled to me as they walked up the school path, greeting me when I ran across the road. I kept my head down. My black wild hair covered my plastered cheek. I reached the girls but then Mika and Amelia embraced me in a tight hug.

"Oh, my god, Alex. We were so worried about you!" Mika said.

"How was...everything?" Amelia asked. They let me go but then they saw the bandaged cheek. Everybody gasped.

"So I guess you two know as well." I moaned to Lucy and Tina as we walked inside the gates. I felt the wristband suddenly tighten slightly as we walked straight through. I knew it wouldn't come off until 3.00pm.

"Yes." They both said together, and then Tina added, "And Cole and Dylan know too. But Ryan hasn't got a clue."

"What happened?"

"What do you think happened, Mika? What always happens when dad's angry?" I muttered. We walked through the hallway towards our first class.

Amelia looked confused. "He didn't seem angry."

"He didn't want you _shape shifters_ onto him." I laughed sarcastically. "So when we got home, he punched me in the chest and I sliced my cheek on a broken bottle. Then..." I trailed off. They knew what I had done, if not, looking down at my arms sure gave them a clue. I only ever wore long sleeved tops or hoodies to disguise my scars or cuts.

"Oh, Alex. Again?" They moaned but understood why I had to do it. Or at least they knew why I felt I had to do it. I shrugged my shoulders and walked to my usual seat in English. I dreaded having to sit next to Jake with a covered up cheek and _another_ chance of him seeing my cuts. But this time I made sure they were covered in bandages, so maybe they'd be a chance of him thinking they were last times.

"Psst." A voice whispered sharply from behind me. I turned and saw Cole smiling kindly at me.

"How you holding up there, champ?" He whispered. His stuff was already neatly piled up on his own desk. He reached out his hand and I put mine in his.

"I'm alright. I'm better than I was last night." I muttered, trying so hard to smile but failing badly.

He rubbed my hand, comforting me. "Please...Dylan and I have asked _so_ many times – let us sort him out for you!" He begged. And it was true, they had begged and begged me times before to go and have a word with dad, but it would only get me into more shit!

"No, Cole. Please don't ever hurt him. He's...he is in there somewhere. Just wait – you'll see."

He nodded and then kissed my hand, rubbing it in a friendly way.

"I hope your going to let go of my girlfriend's hand very soon." Jakes voice suddenly appeared next to our two desks. "Otherwise I might just go insane."

He stood there in his light blue shirt and black jeans, looks like a god, staring at our entwined hands, not angry but not happy.

"Oh, hey man. You two might want to talk in private." I was frightened that Jake might think something different from Cole's words. I knew he wasn't trying to drop me in it, but it could have made everything worse after Jake saw my cheek.

At once, Cole let my hand go and turned around to some of his football club mates. I turned back to the front, trying to look casual. Jake sat down and instantly spotted the bandage. I braced myself. Being a vampire, Jake wouldn't miss much. He seemed shocked.

"Alex..." He gasped. Slowly, shaking, he lifted his fingers to stroke my covered up cheek. It didn't hurt – even if there was no plaster, his hands were so cold. "What...umm...what happened?" Jake mumbled, trying to gain his thoughts and put them in gear.

"It was nothing." I muttered, holding my chin in my hand and watching the teacher come in and write the lesson objectives onto the whiteboard.

"Alex," He carried on. "When I left you ... did something happen?"

I ignored him. I wrote down the date in my English book and the title: Discussion on 'An Inspector Calls'.

"Alex!"

He said it so loud that everybody in the classroom looked straight at him. He ignored _them _and kept his fierce eyes on me. He frightened me slightly and he knew it. He whispered sorry but then I felt really guilty.

"Talk at break?" I asked shyly.

He nodded but didn't look anywhere near me.

For the rest of the lesson he said nothing. I knew he was thinking – he bit his bottom lip every time he was trying to figure something out. He didn't hold my hand either like he usually liked to do. I felt so lonely. Second lesson was horrible too. We had German and I had none of my friends in my class. It was times like this when I knew how crap my life really was. The only good things were Jake who was now close to ignoring me and my friends, where my best friend hadn't come close to me for over a day. I missed Ryan; he was like my life support.

The bell rang. The dreaded time had come – time to confess. I was tired of lying to him. I needed to tell him. To be honest, otherwise who knew what would happen to our relationship. I could trust him; he'd help me through anything, I knew it.

"Come sit down, Alex." Cole said as he walked past me but grabbed my hand, dragging me over to our usual table. Tina, Lucy, Amelia, Dylan, Jake and Mika were already there, watching me. I felt sick. I wanted to run. I wanted to hide and sew my mouth shut. But that would mean no friends, no Jake = not optional.

I sat right between Mika and Amelia. They genuinely smiled at me. We all faced the boys, me opposite Jake, Lucy and Mika opposite Cole and Lucy and Amelia opposite Dylan. Jake didn't look happy at all! He frowned, staring down at his thumbs that played with his undone watch.

"Alex, what's going on that I don't know about, but all friends seem to?" He said, straight to the point.

"I... Jake, I can't tell you. Please, do we have to-"

"Yes." He interrupted sternly. "If we want this to work, you have to at least be honest."

I sighed heavily. I felt my eyes start to swim but I kept it in. I could save the emotional outburst until tonight if I had to. But I doubted I did.

"Ok. You know that my mother died, you know that I and my father live alone. But what you don't know is that dad hasn't been...coping...with it all that well." I said, pausing to try and put it softly.

Jake tensed.

"He hurt you." He said bluntly. It wasn't a question.

I nodded. I saw him drop his watch and clench both of his fists. "And those cuts on your arms the other day..."

I quickly cut in but regretted it almost instantly. "No! No, that wasn't dad – that was me."

He froze. Not once did he look at me. He was disappointed in me, it was obvious. Jake abruptly stood up from his small seat and angrily stormed round the cafeteria table. My friends rubbed my back as I put my hands up to my face, desperate not to cry. But as Jake ran off, I heard something that made me straight away happy, but then just as quickly, I felt like it was the end of the world.

"Get the hell out of my way, Ryan." Jake bellowed right behind us. I span round and stared at Ryan's furious yet hurt face. His eyes were blazing, his fists trembling at his sides. I knew I had hurt him badly.

"Alex." Ryan said, keeping his anger under control. "Can I have a private word with you, now, please?"

And before I had a chance to answer, he took my hand and led me out of the canteen. I had to run just to keep up with him.

_God help me!_ I thought.

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**BUM BUM BUM BUMMMM!!!! Or is it dumdumdumdummmm? **

**Oh well...**

**CLICK ON CHIPCHIPCHIPPYYY!**


	12. High And Mighty

**Ok, one of the best chapters i think i've done.**

**Poor Alex... :(**

**Right, no exception - this chapter has GOT to be dedicated to my best friend Ryan. Im so sorry.**

**I'll love you forever man. You're the greatest!!!**

**Meggss xoxoxo**

* * *

Ryan had brought me into one of the empty classrooms. It was actually the same one we had English in earlier, but I hardly noticed anyway. He pulled me into the room and then finally let go of my wrists. He yanked down the white blinds. Coincidently, this covered up the view from the field, where Jake had joined his sister Molly and a few other friends of both of theirs at a sandwich table.

Ryan slammed the door shut then trembled in front of my eyes, standing there with his arms crossed and his firm chest breathing in and out harshly. He was waiting for me to start; I had no idea what to say!

"Well...?" He shouted, breathing even faster and harder.

"Ryan...I don't know where to begin!" I mumbled.

He spoke through his teeth now. "How about at the start."

I locked my fingers, my thumbs battled as if I wasn't having one of the hardest conversations I could have. I spoke as if it wasn't my words, as if it wasn't me speaking with my mouth or my lips.

"It doesn't matter, Ryan. Please, can't we just forget this ever happened and go back to being best friends?"

"What the hell are you talking about, Alexandra? We are friends!" He shouted at me. I knew he meant nothing by it – he was just frustrated.

"Hasn't seemed like it lately." I muttered.

His eyes darkened.

"And what, may I ask, do you mean by that?"

I laughed in a fed-up way.

"Well, come on Ryan! First you hurt me, which I forgave you for straight away because I knew how angry you were; it wasn't your fault. But then in the twins' house you ran upstairs and almost threatened Jake and broke down the door! Then you totally ignored me when I practically _begged_ you to help Jake, but instead you stared at me, or more like my blood! And to top it all off you wouldn't even come into the hospital. I heard you talk to that man. Of course I wanted you to stay with me. You're my best friend and I was scared and alone and hurt. I _needed _you! And you weren't there...You wouldn't even see if I was ok."

I ended up breaking down into tears. He had hurt me. It was all true and now that I had let it all out I knew just how much it could hurt me. Ryan stood where he was. He didn't move apart from throwing me a tissue from his back pocket. I wiped the tears away; good thing I had put on water proof mascara this morning.

"Don't talk all high and mighty to me about us being best friends and that_ I_ keep letting you down. You think that didn't hurt like hell back there, Al? I just found out that your dad has been beating you senseless! Why the fuck didn't you tell me? Don't I deserve to know, am I not allowed to know your _big secrets_ anymore?" He yelled sarcastically.

"Shut up." I muttered, just like I did when dad had said everything about my mother's death. I shivered at the memory.

"No, I won't! And you've been hurting yourself?" He exploded. "Fuck! Why didn't you say anything, Alex? You tell Mika, Cole and even your perfect boyfriend Jake, but not me? Not your best friend? Why not, tell me!"

"Because you would never understand! No one will! Not you, not Dylan, not Mika and not even _my perfect boyfriend_! It is _my_ punishment. You never needed to know. You'd just shout and scream and hit and run off until you calm down. That's what always happens, Ryan! Understand that! Every time I did this I thought of how disappointed you'd be and that all you would do is... well, this! When all I needed was a hug and the right words – and some one to tell me that everything would get better, everything will work out." I said, choking on my words.

His eyes became softer and he looked sorry, amongst the pain and hurt in his eyes. He took a few strides across the classroom and pulled me into a tight hug. I clutched at his clothes, his back. I needed him – my life support, my best friend, my brother. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry, I am. I should have told you – I...I am so sorry, Ryan." I wept; my crying became less hysteric as he soothed my back and my hair, stroking me, knowing that _this _was what I needed.

Ryan shushed me. Now I just choked slowly on my breathing. I hadn't noticed that he led us up to a classroom chair. Gently picking me up, he sat us down onto it, with me in his lap, cradled against his chest. My tears soaked his shirt and my sniffs were now the only noise we could hear.

"Shh...Al, I'm sorry. I was selfish to just have a go at you like that. Do you want to forget this whole mess and go back to before?" He soothed.

I nodded, unwilling to speak.

"Ok. But ... please Alex, if this ever happens again, talk to me. We do need to discuss this sometime."

Again, I nodded.

"Good girl." He murmured, stroking my hair. Sometimes I wondered if I meant anything more to Ryan, but our close relationship had never been anything over the line of romantic, but we both knew we weren't just best friends. We were so much more, so much closer than brothers and sisters could ever be. We were like the last girl and last boy in the world; in need of each other yet we never wanted to spoil what we had. We both never wanted to be one without the other. I very much doubted if I could live without Ryan!

A knock on the door sounded. I ignored it, but Ryan frowned and stared at it.

"It's him." He muttered, excluding Jake's actual name.

"Come in." I croaked but when I was sure Jake could hear it, being a vampire and all, Ryan repeated my words. He didn't even stop stroking my head when Jake came in and I never moved my head to look at my boyfriend once.

"Alex, sweetheart, are you ok?" I heard Jake say. His voice wasn't his usual self. Something was hidden deep in it, buried in with the worry for me. Jealousy.

"Mmm-hmm." My voice was muffled against Ryan's shirt.

"Maybe you should take her outside for a bit of fresh air?" Ryan suggested silently. I noticed that vampires hardly ever spoke loud when in a conversation together.

"Yes, of course." I felt Jake's hands on me, coaxing me towards him. But I moved further into Ryan's chest.

"No, I don't need to." I moaned. "I'm too comfortable!"

Ryan's chest vibrated at he chuckled deeply. He stopped soothing me. I felt much happier now, and not ready to burst into tears.

"Come on, Alex. This isn't negotiable. Now go with Jake."

I blew a raspberry which made him laugh harder, but gently, he pushed me off of his lap towards my boyfriend. I took Jake's hand as he led me out of the classroom. Before we walked out I could see Ryan smiling pleasantly but again, there was something hidden. He looked as if he missed something, or as if he was upset because he'd let something go that he didn't want to loose. Maybe I was just being an idiot.

"Some one wants a word with you." Jake said as he pulled me outside. We were heading towards where he was sitting before with his sister.

I groaned. "Oh man, Molly? You're setting your sister on me now?"

The corner of his lips twitched upwards.

"She's worried and-" He said honestly.

"And you're not." I scoffed. Jake stared at me, hurt. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I just...thought you'd act a little...different."

We were out of the hallway doors and we walked down the path towards Molly's table, she waved excitably at us. I moaned again. I tried to turn around and make a break for it but Jake's grip on my hand made it impossible to run.

"Let's just say it hasn't sunk in yet. But it will, and when it does, I'll be ready to break your father's legs."

"No, don't!" I said quickly and a bit too loud. I took my voice under control and tried again. "Please, it's enough with my friends wanting that, I really do not need my boyfriend trying to commit murder too."

"Tough, Alexandra. He hurt you, now I'll hurt him ten times more." He said simply. Because he said it so casually, I was way too afraid to answer. It didn't matter anyway. We had arrived at the death table.

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**Yay Alex. She gets two pieces of cake and gets to eat them too! xoxo**

**Review!!!!**


	13. You Saved Me

**Wooo, go Molly! She's so sweet and innocent. We love her, don't we?**

**Ok, we have new characters AGAIN!!!**

**Leona, Bray and Nate. MMMM awesome. Find out about Jakes unhealthy secret in this chapter.**

**Review if you love the story ( and me and chippy of course.) ;)**

**xoxo meggss xoxo**

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"Alex!" Molly screamed as I was practically pushed into a hug by her brother. She hugged me tightly them pulled away, not letting go of my arms. "How are you? You look much better."

"I'm fine. Thank you." I said, feeling a little self-conscious, and not because I was on a table with vampires. I looked at them, trying to smile.

"Oh, these are our friends: Nate, Bray and Leona." As Molly said each name, one vampire owned it with a smile or a wave, apart from Nate, who winked at me and grinned. I heard Jake growl from behind me, placing one hand on my shoulder and the other in mine. "Everyone, this is Alexandra, Jake's girlfriend. And don't worry Alex, they won't hurt you."

I laughed nervously.

"Hmm, I'm keeping no promises." Nate said, continuously grinning.

"You will." Jake promised. He came to sit by me. I thought he was being serious until I saw the smile on his lips.

"Na, we're just kidding." Nate reassured me as if he read my thoughts. "Jake's like a brother to me; I could never hurt him like that."

Nate was incredibly well built, with black short hair and a shining smile like I'd never seen before. He looked the complete opposite to Jake. Even though they both looked strong and both had a fantastic smile, something radiated from Nate, something enticing, making me long for him. Wait, I was longing for this stranger?

"Nate!" Jake snarled. He slapped Nate's head harshly. I gasped. A powerful hit like that could probably _kill_ a human! "Stop wooing my girlfriend." He ordered.

I suddenly realised that I had begun creeping forward towards Nate, falling so far that my face had become quite close to his. I jerked myself back into the seat. Jake wrapped his arms round me protectively, showing to every vampire that could see with their great vision that I belonged to Jake young. That I was _his_ girlfriend and that _no one_ was allowed to touch me apart from him.

"Hey, man! You knew I was joking around!" Nate half moaned, half laughed. "Jesus, take a joke. I admit she's attractive. No offense mate, but I could do _way _better!"

"You'd be lucky to even be her friend!" Jake scoffed. Nate grinned at me. I tried to smile but felt too uncomfortable, so I buried myself deeper into Jake's chest.

"Oh, I'm sure we'll be the best of friends, won't we Alex?" He smiled. I played along to, feeling a little more confident in myself.

"Oh, the very best."

He bellowed out a chuckle, then got up, smacked Jake's shoulder and made his way to towards the canteen, passing us after he dumped his rubbish in the bin.

"Ignore him. He just likes girls...a lot." Jake whispered in my ear.

"On behalf of Nate, we apologise." Molly laughed. "You'll get used to him. Personally, I prefer Leona and Bray."

"I heard that!" Nate's voice came from a small distance.

"Good." Molly shouted back. I couldn't help laughing.

"So, how did you two get together?" The short blonde haired Bray asked kindly. She had ice blue eyes that raked through mine, not painfully, just mesmerizingly. The other girl, Leona, looked at us with appreciative eyes. They were an amazing green, wild but controlled, loving but hateful. They sparkled; all I could physically see when I looked at her was her eyes! When I finally dragged my own dull eyes away from hers, I saw her hair. It was the deepest red possible. It fell over her shoulders and down her back, curling this way and that. With vampire girls like these, I had absolutely no idea why I was Jake's girlfriend and Ryan's best friend!

"Well, it sounds _so_ corny but... really, it was love at first sight, well for me anyway! She's just so beautiful, inside and out; I couldn't _not_ fall in love with her." Jake declared.

The girls sighed, their hearts filled to the brim with the romantic vampire that sat in front of them. I looked at him, not frowning yet not smiling.

"How?"

"What?" Jake quietly asked, confused. Slightly, his grip around me loosened. I held onto his arms tightly, sure that it couldn't possibly hurt him.

"How can that be true, though? Have you not seen these two girls in front of you? _They_ are beautiful, not me. I'm just...plain." I muttered.

Jake looked sad and angry, but didn't speak. Instead, his sister answered.

"Are you kidding me, Alex? You're gorgeous! You are so pretty, and I really don't lie. And no one, in the school or outside of it, could ever do what you did the other night! _That_ was heroic." She smiled.

"What do you mean?"

Jake cut in. "You tried to save me, Alex." He whispered, watching as our hands entwined. "You were practically dying. Even then you dragged yourself halfway across the cafeteria – bleeding – and-"

"Watched." I muttered. "I just watched you. I ... I thought you were dead, Jake. And I couldn't help. How does that make me a hero?"

"Because you tried anyway." He mumbled. He kissed me on the lips gently, closing his eyes, the world melted around us. He pulled away and whispered so quietly I only just heard. "I never really thanked you. You saved my life."

"But I didn't! You were alive, I didn't-"

"Not just then. I mean... I mean when I met you, you saved me. I can't ever thank you enough. You really did save me, and you don't realise how much." He groaned, as if it wasn't an option to tell me exactly what he meant.

"We'll go find Nate." Leona and Bray said together, walking quickly away. What ever this was, he didn't want it happening again.

I pulled away so I could see both Molly and Jake. They both looked...guilty, sad.

"I don't understand."

"Alex, before you came, Jake was...also... in a bad place. He hated his life for so long, being what he is, because of his past. And it's not my choice to tell you about that. But before he met you, even with Maria in his life, he couldn't...cope." Molly explained, glancing at Jake once in a while. Jake was frowning when I looked at him. His face was in agony. I slid his arms away.

"You hurt yourself?" I choked. Quickly, he shook his head, no. But just as quickly he pushed up from the table and ran back inside, not looking back once. I stared after him, shocked.

"Now you know what he means when he says he loved you more than he ever loved Maria – how he can never explain how much." Molly sighed heavily.

"What did he do?"

"Planned it out, a couple of hundred times or so," She mumbled not casually, but not as if it bothered he so much anymore. "He tried to starve himself, hang himself, and even ... cut his wrists. It never worked. It only made him more bloodthirsty – the starvation I mean." She paused, watching me take this all in. I breathed heavily, a single tear dropped from my cheek and onto my shaking hands.

"I never knew." I whispered.

"Go to him." She said. "He needs you."

I got up from the picnic table and started running. As I ran, I heard Molly's usual sweet voice yell, "Be careful!"

He would never hurt me. I knew that. Jake physically couldn't, I could see it in his eyes. The only pain I felt right now was his, the pain of which he had to go through.

And because he hated himself? His own species?

He didn't choose this. He probably didn't even want this!

I had to hold him, to tell him how special he was.

To tell him that _I _loved _him_ more than I could ever explain!

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**:O Anyone shocked right now?**

**Damn... like or dislike?**

**review, and tiggle Chippy, he's lonely.**

**m xoxo**


	14. The Innocents Were Nothing!

**Guess what? This is the longest chapter i've written on here so far. Over 3000 words!!!**

**Ok, to sum up, this is all about finding out about Jake's past.**

**I hope it reaches my readers standards! ;)**

**Please click on Chippy. **

**Meggss xoxoxo**

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I ran, panting heavily down the hallway, turning my head as I looked through every classroom on the way. I still couldn't find Jake. I turned into the English classroom where Ryan still sat in the same chair. He held his head in his hands, cursing.

He abruptly popped his head up, shocked to see me out of breath, standing there, trying to talk.

"Alex, are you alright?"

"Find...Jake...Quick..." I gasped, holding onto my chest desperately.

"Ok, slow down, catch your breath, and then explain." I did as Ryan said; I took deep breaths. Eventually we both stood there, holding onto each others elbows. "Now, what's got you into this state?"

I hesitated. "Jake... We were talking to his sister, Molly-"

"Urghh, Molly Young. Nothing good ever comes from that woman." He joked.

"Anyway," I smirked, "Jake and I were talking to her and then...she told me that Jake had been...like I am...once before."

Ryan's face was blank.

"You know," I sighed heavily. "Where your life sucks so much you feel you have to..."

"That son of a bitch; who the hell does he think he is, judging you when he's been through exactly the same thing!" He paused, "Well, something similar at least!"

Ryan looked furious. He clenched his teeth together as his lips pulled over. He made his gentle hands into killer fists, the knuckles turning white. His breathing was ragged and he walked straight for the door.

I sidestepped in between him and the classroom door, flying out my arms and grabbing onto the doorframe to stop him.

"Let me talk to him." I begged quietly. He calmed down a little, not wanting to hurt me, again. "Please, don't get angry. He had it worse than I ever will."

"How do you work that one out then, Alex?" He yelled.

Gently, I let my hands lie down on Ryan's heaving chest. He slowed his breathing down almost instantly. He gazed at my hands, his lips parted slightly.

"Because," I explained. "I don't hate my own kind or what I am. Imagine despising everything that you're supposed to be, what you were made for."

"He hates being a vampire?" Ryan said, as if that was not possible.

"Look, Ryan I don't have time to explain everything. Please can you just...smell where he is?"

He sighed heavily and then breathed in, muttering something like 'I'm not a werewolf, you know?' and looked away from my face. Again, he sighed and then looked back at me.

"Boys' toilet...Unlucky." He smirked. I smiled and play punched his chest.

Suddenly the bell rang for third period. As if you could see the vibrations in the air, we both looked up as it rang. I was the first to look away.

"Meet up at lunch?"

He nodded. I kissed his cheek then ran off to the boys toilets. It was actually quite lucky; no one would be in there apart from us so we could chat privately, if he'd let me though.

I passed everyone as they stormed off to class in groups of threes of twos. After a minute of running and dodging everyone, I reached the boys' toilet. I prayed Jake was still in there, that if he was he wouldn't burst out as soon as he had my scent. He already probably smelled it by now.

I took a deep breath and pushed open the blue door.

"Jake?" I said, out of breath. Cautiously, I moved round the door, closing it behind me. I peered round the disabled toilet – not that there was anyone disabled in the entire school – and saw Jake. He was sitting it the corner of the large room, hugging his knees to his chest. He laid his head on the back of his hands. His books and bag was spread across the floor and above his head was a severely smashed mirror.

"Jake, are you alright?" I said warily. I slowly walked towards him.

He didn't move but moaned, "Go away."

"No." I said simply. He looked up at me. I tried my hardest not to gasp at how vulnerable and pained he looked. His eyes were tired, as if it were possible to cry then he would have. His messy hair was even messier than usual and blood dripped from one of his knuckles. His skin was already mending itself. One of the many perks of being a vampire, in my opinion.

"Please, I don't want you to see me like this." He moaned painfully.

I bent down in front of him.

"Does it matter now? I can see you. I can see you and it doesn't make me think any less of you." I confessed. The side of his lips twitched upwards for the slightest second. "Not one bit."

"I'm sorry." He murmured.

"Why?" I said, taking his wounded hand and pressing his healed, blood stained knuckle to my lips.

"I had no right to react the way I did. It was selfish of me. I guess...I guess I did it for myself, really. It was like me shouting at myself, when really I was shouting at you; as if I was mentally begging you to stop, to never do something like that again." He said quietly.

"Tell me about it."

I moved to Jake's side, crushing myself to him.

"Why?"

"Because I need to understand. Please?" I asked.

Hesitantly, Jake took in a shaky breath.

"You have to understand, Alex. I need you to." He started. "When I was...created... I didn't understand what I was. Like most vampire families, the parents change their young after they themselves have been turned into vampires. You'd never think a vampire mother could have had children. Usually they are in their twenties."

"But first Molly was changed. She took it as if it was a game, a better way of life, perhaps. I never fully understood her reaction. My own was very different to hers. I was changed 24 hours after Molly had. I will never forget that moment. She was just...lying on the floor, blood dripping from her neck. Her eyes were shut and I believed she was dead. At seventeen I couldn't understand what my parents were; giving the movies and basic stories of vampires that weren't around quite yet. Or at least the ones that were had never been believed to be true. I tried waking her up. I tried CPR and an hour later I gave into the fact that she was gone. So I stayed with her – kept the door shut in case my parents tried to get her again. At the time I hadn't really thought that they'd try and kill me too."

"Then, she came back, hours after it happened. She seemed exactly the same as before: happy, bouncy, the same colour eyes and everything! But what I couldn't quite figure out was that she went straight for the door, opening it then hugging our parents, as if they were welcoming her! I bolted for the door...but they were too fast. And the next thing I remember was that I was lying in my own blood, in the same room, waking up with the sharp scent of my own human blood filling up in my head. That's when I finally realised what I had become."

"So that's when you tried to... you know." I guessed shakily.

"No, not for a while. For years I basked in the glory of being a better, more unique and efficient model of a human. My family resisted killing humans; Molly hasn't once murdered an innocent since the day she was turned; that's what we call you – innocents, it's your title. But no, the first few years I enjoyed drinking and playing around with humans, letting them go as easily enough as I could get them. I guess you could have called me a play boy, but worse."

"What did you do?"

"I – We, other vampires and I picked girls up, gave them the world as we could easily get money when we wanted it. We pretended that they mattered to us, made them fall in love with us. Then as soon as we drank from them and got bored, we let them go. I regret it entirely, I was a disgusting fool."

"Then we became known to the world ten years ago because of the vampires that wanted all creatures to be equal. At the time I thought it was a nightmare. People knew exactly who was who and what was what. I myself got a reputation that made its way to all the night clubs."

He laughed sarcastically. Jake looked disgusted and ashamed with himself. I hugged myself tighter to him but he cringed away.

"Don't, Alex. You won't want to." was all he said.

"Then...what happened?" I mumbled.

"Five years ago I met another human, one who didn't have a clue who I was; her name was Hannah Jones. I did the same routine, except this time I kept it going a little longer – squeezed all the possible juice out of the lemon, so to speak. But then one night she told me she loved me, told me she wanted to become what I was. Only then had I realised that I started to have...emotional...feelings towards her."

I held my breath. How could I be jealous right now? I was such a horrible person!

"Nothing like what I feel for you, Alexandra, I swear. Besides, it freaked me out. I thought the innocents were nothing! And I was falling for one? To be honest, it made me sick. Frightened, I blamed it all on her. Made myself think she was manipulating me in some way. So, I wanted revenge. I agreed that I'd turn Hannah – every vampire knows how as soon as they were turned, it's instinct."

"What happened? Is she a vampire?" I asked, holding my breath. I was on the edge between scared for Jake, and for Hannah.

"On the 13th December I tried to change her. I had planned to leave her as soon as she was one of us, she'd be scared and alone and bloodthirsty – I did not care for the innocents that would be murdered because of Hannah. But I couldn't deny what I felt for her. And when not enough venom went into her bloodstream...it killed her slowly instead. I thought she was changing, not dying. I left her in a room, like when Molly and I were changed. Hannah screamed so much it hurt to stay in the house. She fell silent after 28 hours. I went in, and she didn't wake up. I was scared, so I left her there."

Silence filled the room. I felt tears drip down my warm cheeks.

"Now you know why. Why I cannot bare what I am. I left the girl that loved me die in agony for 28 hours! What kind f sick freak does that make me?" He shook his head. "I tried destroying myself, but it was almost impossible. I starved myself of blood. I stayed with my sister and she saw what I was doing to myself. She even tried to feed me her own blood I was getting so thirsty. But then, I lost control and something just...snapped. In one night I killed eleven humans. I came home with blood smeared on almost every inch of my body. And – and I'll never get the smell out of my head."

His eyes looked empty, as if he was watching everything all over again. He spoke, blankly, never once turning to me. I never knew, before this day, that Jake had been through so much.

"I despised what I was. I came here with Molly and I haven't seen our parents for so long I can't even remember what they look like now. They abandoned both of us, so my life's plan – if there was absolutely no way to kill myself alone – was to look after my little sister. We moved to this school to learn more, even though we were pretty smart already."

I laughed tearfully at that part – he was the cleverest guy I'd ever known.

"I met Maria a year after I met Hannah. She was already a vampire so I never feared anything between us. After a year I fell in love with her. But I still hated my life to the full. I secretly planned everyway that I could kill myself...but nothing worked. Then I saw you!" Jake smiled, turning his gaze to meet my own. He held onto my hand tightly – not tight enough to break it though, which was easy with his amount of strength. "As soon as I met you I couldn't feel more for you than I already did. Maria meant nothing to me after I knew you. I admit I cared for her, wanted no harm to come to her like I did with Hannah, but you were my life." He said truthfully. "You always will be."

Tears streamed down my face as I snuggled into him. He let his legs fall to the floor and pulled me into his lap. He held me there tightly and rested his head on my shoulder. We both sat there for the rest of the lesson in the school toilets, both mumbling to each other about how much I loved him and how much he loved me.

"The bell's gonna go very soon, Jake." I murmured sleepily.

"Yeah." Was all he said.

Another twenty minutes passed by in silence and the bell had already rung.

"Do you hate me?" Jake asked. Shocked, I moved my head to stare at him. My eyebrows pulled together.

"Don't say that." I muttered angrily. "I could never!"

"Promise?"

"Promise; don't ever believe that I could hate you. Just...just don't, please." I said quickly.

I turned my head back around and he stroked my hair, soothing me. My dried cheeks grew hot. Jake kissed the top of my head. Finally, I dragged myself across the bathroom floor and gathered up Jake's scattered books. The school usually got broken mirrors, windows, you name it – they had to replace a lot of things here. There were many occasions were a shape shifter, werewolf, vampire or even a human got a little too angry.

"I should be doing that!" Jake complained.

"Well," I grinned. "Then you can make it up to me later."

"Hmm...I like the sound of that." Jake chuckled but helped me anyway. "I was going to make it up to you before, now this is just going to add to the pile. Wow – I really like the sounds of this!"

"Oh shut up, Jake." I laughed at his excited tone. He helped me up from the floor and I passed his book bag. All of a sudden, Jake pulled my arm and swung me onto his back. Laughing, I grabbed his shoulders and linked my legs around his waist. He easily took us to our classroom. We travelled down the hallway to our next lesson which was P.E. I liked the sound of this, too. We only had half an hour left until lunch, so we didn't get changed; we just went straight for the gym.

"Alex! Jake, over here!" Cole yelled across the big room, his voice echoing against the walls. Today we had badminton, which was lucky for me because I really suck at it. All of our friends were close together, messing about with their bats. Of course, Cole was slapping Tina on the bum, she was laughing like a donkey and Lucy and Dylan were playing properly.

Ryan was surprisingly standing next to Molly who was grinning away at us. Our piggyback ride led all the way towards Molly and Ryan as we ran over to them. Ryan smiled at me but had a look that could kill when it came to Jake.

Jake finally dropped me to the floor and then moved closer to his sister. He pulled her into an incredibly tight hug. There mouths both moved but their words were so quiet I could not hear the conversation. But I was sure Ryan could. He moved over to me and stroked my covered up cheek with his cold fingers.

"You ok, baby?" He said.

I nodded. "Yeah, just tired, really. It's been a long day."

"Mmm-hmm." Ryan mumbled as Jake took my hand and nodded in Ryan's direction. We walked over to Cole and Tina who smiled at us.

"You guys ok?" Cole asked cautiously.

"Great." Jake grinned from ear to ear.

"Cool. You wanna play?" He offered Jake the racket but Jake shook his head.

"No, but I'll referee if that's alright with you, Cole." And both of the boys jogged off closer to the net. Jake took his place between the two pairs as I watched, leaning on the wall.

"So I'm guessing you know everything now." A voice came from next to me. I turned to see a red headed girl, more beautiful than I could imagine.

"Oh, hello Leona." I gasped, taken by surprise. "Yes, we talked."

"Good." She smiled kindly. She was wearing shorts and a black t-shirt that brought out her green eyes magnificently. "He needed that, you know. He needs you. We all agree."

"Oh." I said. "All?"

Again she smiled. "Yes, Bray, Nate, Molly and I. He needs you. You're good for him. He loves you so much, always remember that, Alex." And with that she rubbed my upper arm and ran off to her group. She was playing with Molly, Nate and Bray, but also others that I hadn't recognised before. A girl with golden brown hair that came down to her shoulders and a boy. He had black hair – that seemed to have a slight hint of blue – that fell over his eyes, but in a harsh way- a cruel way, even. He had amazing blue eyes, similar to Bray's but they were darker. He was slim and tall and very handsome.

And for some reason, he was staring straight at me!

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**So what did we think? Please review. It means a lot to me! **

**Any advice or ideas, please feel free to tell me.**

**xoxo**


	15. A Freak

**Whoo, NEW CHARACTERS ALERT!!!**

**So here they are:**

**- Miles O'Connell**

**- Rachel**

**- Diego**

**- Maggie**

**- Ross**

**- Kodak**

**-Romanie**

**This Chapter is dedicated to Miss Charlotte Coleman. Because we love her!**

**Review please... Meggss xoxo**

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"Hey, love, what do you want to eat?"

"No, Jake, I'll get it-" I cut in but he put a hand up almost instantly.

"Nope, catch up with your friends. Now what would you like?" Jake pushed on and I sighed, there was no point fighting over this, even if we were playing.

"Chicken lasagne, please, babe." I asked. He kissed me softly before he zoomed off to the queue. I turned back to my friends and noticed that to normal additions to our group was missing, although Molly, Leona, Bray and Nate we sitting with all of us this lunch time.

"Where are Mika and Amelia?" I asked innocently. Casually, my friends shrugged their shoulders.

"Don't know-" Dylan said around his muffin before Leona cut in.

"They were in class last lesson, but were called out to the office. Apparently their father wanted them out today, or something." Leona interrupted.

My friends and I shared quick '_what?' _glances. The twins' dad never came home from work. Or whenever he did he stayed for the night then set off again. I settled with maybe he took them out for the day to spend time as a family. I was busy munching on my bottle top to really think about it. This sucker was going to be crushed.

"Who are they?" Lucy murmured opposite me, staring right past my face. Everybody looked in the same direction, noticing a large group of teenagers sitting at a table on their own, separate from most of the whole cafeteria.

"New kids." Bray, Leona, Molly and Nate all muttered together in chorus, turning back to face as while we stared on.

"Alex, they were watching you last lesson." Ryan whispered closely to my ear, his hot breath tingling me. I nodded; I had seen them staring too.

"Where are they from?" I mumbled to the vampires.

"No idea, but they've all been together, or so I hear. They're kind of like a 'gang'. There's Maggie, Ross, Romanie, Kodak, Diego, Rachel, and then there's Miles – the leader of the group, practically. He's the dark haired, emo looking guy? The scary one. They're basically all just followers." Bray mumbled a tinge of hurt in her voice. "But I did know Rachel. She was my best friend, inseparable, we were! Then she started hanging around with Miles and the rest of them. They have no respect for anyone, not humans, not shifters, not even their own kind."

"So, what are they?" Ryan said.

"All of them are werewolves." Bray said.

Suddenly, Dylan and Cole scoffed, punching one another and messing around, whispering and laughing between each other.

"No way, man. Miles isn't one of us." Cole bellowed, but low enough so the gang didn't hear. Dylan was laughing along but was watching the werewolves, wary.

"What _is_ he then?" I pushed.

"A freak."

Before I had a chance to speak, Bray laughed along to but was against Cole and Dylan. The rest of us watched them intrigued, but slightly annoyed at our lack of knowledge.

"They're just rumours!" Bray chimed in.

"Oh, come on, vamp!" Cole said. "You can't honestly tell me there is _nothing_ different about him. Not even when he looks at you for a second, it doesn't make you shiver?"

"I'm cold enough as it is; nothing can make me shiver." She said proudly.

"Alright." Dylan joined in. "I dare you to go over there, just make conversation, and then you come back and _swear_ you weren't the slightest bit freaked out by him."

"Fine." She muttered sarcastically, getting up from the table abruptly and storming over to them. The gang watched her with fierce eyes. We turned away and started chatting whilst we waited.

"So, why did you call him a freak?" Ryan asked, interested in the fact a werewolf called another werewolf a freak.

Cole leaned in closer, as did we all.

He whispered, "Miles O'Connell is the only...werewolf to be injected with vampire venom and survive." Cole quickly glanced at bray then back at us.

"You mean he's...both? Vampire _and _werewolf?" Tina gasped.

"Well, my opinion is that his natural instincts would take over altogether – so he'd just be werewolf. But apparently he's stronger than any vampire or werewolf in existence and he can change humans to vampires. He also feeds on humans and kills, _apparently._ So, he's a freak, not one of us. He doesn't belong to anyone or anywhere."

"He has no one?" My voice almost sounded pitiful, but I didn't want to. He killed humans without regret; I couldn't ignore that.

"Well, that Rachel looks pretty caught up over him." Ryan chuckled at the werewolf.

Her eyes drooped as she gazed at him, with want scribbled and drooled all over her face. If she didn't seem so tough or capable of crushing me, I'd think she was pitiful.

All of a sudden, Bray was casually striding towards us. She stopped right behind me, all of us waited for her to say something. She sighed heavily.

"I have never felt so petrified in my entire life." She confessed.

Cope and Dylan high fived each other as Bray sat down moodily, cuddling into Nate's side.

"No fair. I...umm, I guess it's true, then." She mumbled, glancing back at the boy many times. I myself ignored him completely. If he scared Bray, a vampire that could normally kill all the humans in this school with in minutes, then I guess I'd be dead if I ended up in the same room as him, just the two of us, alone.

"What's true?" Jake's voice appeared, a steaming hot cup of lasagne in front of me. My nose sniffed the two scents in deeply. The gorgeous smell of my meal and then there was the heavenly smell of Jake Young, my beloved boyfriend.

Thanks." I said quietly, welcoming him between his sister and I with a kiss and a spoonful of lasagne. He groaned.

"When will you learn that I despise human food?" Jake laughed. But he hesitated, munching. "Actually it's not that bad. May I?" He said, opening his mouth with big puppy eyes that I could not resist. I shoved in another mouthful before explaining to Jake what we were discussing.

"Miles O'Connell is the new guy?" He said surprised.

"Yes, him and his followers." I laughed.

"Hmm. Alexandra...I'm going to have to ask you to stay away from hi, please." Jake said pleasantly. I stared at him, frowning slightly.

"Why?" I asked, slightly shocked and offended.

"Let's just say... I'm not the only one who's earned a reputation over the years."

"That bad, huh?" the other vampires laughed.

"Seriously? I can't even introduce myself?" I moaned. It's not normal that I'd want to introduce myself to strange vampires, but not being allowed or even been given the chance to say hello just made me want to defy Jake.

"No. Just please; do not make conversation with him as much as possible. Miles is many years older than I am and I could not defend you well if he was to hurt you or insult you in any way."

"Well then...Ryan will." I said, pleased with myself.

But Ryan shot in. "I'm with Jake on this one, Al. Miles is dangerous. Besides, I'm even younger that Jake is!" He said, not very proud of this fact. I rolled my eyes. This was pathetic! But if it would keep people happy...

"Fine." I groaned.

"Thank you. It's a relief you will agree to at least one of the things I ask of you." Jake said, kissing the top of my head warmly.

"Very funny." I muttered.

For the rest of lunch we sat and chatted about the rest of the rumours about the gang. As we already knew, Rachel lived here before and was a close friend of Bray's. But unlucky for Rachel, she could only change into a wolf whenever her feelings got to strong. So usually the gang have to get her angry by fighting with her or Miles, her major crush, has to snog her face off. Other wise she stays out of the fight.

Diego was Mile's right hand man. He had wavy, ghostly blonde hair and resembled the looks of Jude Law. He was _very _handsome.

Apparently the brother and sister, Kodak and Romanie, never talked in English. Apparently they never spoke around anyone at all apart from the gang. They only communicated in English with each other when in wolf form, and _still_ that couldn't possibly be out loud.

The last guy called Ross had severe anger problems and flirted like mad, and not just with werewolves. He and the two silent wolves were supposed to be kicked out the gang by a vote, but high and mighty Miles never allowed it because they were the best fighters.

"Alex?"

I looked up to see that everyone had left me behind apart from Jake. Even Ryan had run off to class.

"Oh, right the bell went, didn't it?" I laughed, still slightly in my day dream.

Jake chuckled at my half closing eyes. "You have German again, sweet heart. Come on." He laughed, taking my hand in his and dragging me unwillingly to class.

When we got outside my last lesson, he suddenly pushed me against the wall, trapping me between his two steel arms.

"Jake, what-?" But he cut me off my kissing me deeply. He wrapped both his arms around my waist, holding on tightly to my back, pulling me so close to him.

Surprised but excited, I kissed him back. I sucked on his bottom lip. He let out a low growl from deep in his chest. I pulled back quickly.

"Sorry!" I said quickly.

"I'm not. It was...unexpected, but so good." He said. Then, hesitating he looked at my neck. "Alexandra, would you let me try something?"

Looking straight at my neck, Jake's eyes focused on a spot right under my earlobe. After a second of thought, I mumbled, "Jake...I have class."

"This won't take a minute." He said, grinning to himself.

Quickly, I nodded.

Then, Jake got closer to my neck, bending down to put his lips to that very spot. So gently I wasn't even sure he had done it, he kissed me with his soft, icy lips. Then I felt his teeth. They definitely did not dig in, but I felt then on my skin. They scrapped downwards then back up until his top lip touched my earlobe again. Abruptly, he pulled back, grinning even wider at me.

"I'll see you later, babe." He said playfully. And before I could ask what just happened, he blurred down the corridor to his lesson.

Sighing, I pushed open the classroom door and apologised to the teacher for being slightly late. Dozily, I stumbled to my empty desk at the back of the classroom and I asked my desk partner to shuffle over.

_Wait, desk partner?_

I quickly turned to see a dark haired, handsome boy staring right at me, sitting next to me on my usually empty desk.

"Miles." I mumbled in shock.

He nodded in my direction, and then turned to the white board.

* * *

**Bum Bum Bummmm!**

**So, who is this Miles and why does everyone think he's more of a freak than he already is? Why does everyone get shivers around him? Uh oh! Bye. xoxoxoxoxoxo**


	16. Hear Things

**Hey guys, im back, and with a whole lot of chapters!!!**

**So because there are a lot, i wont type on a few and a little bit on some. Enjoy. Dedication to Ryan because he's my best friend ever and i love him and he also puts up with all my crap and eveything else!!!**

* * *

He sat there, beautiful in every asset of his body. His fingers fell onto the table one after the other – a sign of boredom and impatience. His hair fell over his eyes and was all messy, but his body wasn't slouched. His shoulders and back were straight; he looked perfect even when bored.

We had been told to copy the text and then translate it into German. The teacher was taking the register loudly.

"Can I borrow a pencil, Alex?" The voice next to me smoothly asked. The hairs on my arms stood on end and my mouth made a little o shape. I turned to stare at him in total shock.

"How do you know my name?"

He smiled.

"I think the whole school knows your name. You've apparently caused quite a few arguments here – you and your boyfriend. What's his name again? Jack, Jude?"

"It's Jake." I muttered, handing him a pencil, looking away from his direction.

"Ahh, yes. Jake Young – the innocents' man." He chuckled.

I glared at him sharply, hissing slightly.

"He's changed. And I do not think this is any of your business, thank you!"

"I'll make it my business, now that you're not allowed to talk to me." He smirked.

My mouth just got _bigger_.

"How-?"

"Your boyfriend isn't the quietest vampire in the world, you know? Besides... a freak like me can hear way better than your average wolf or vamp."

"I – Umm...I wasn't the one who called you that." I mumbled.

Suddenly, the teacher cut in quickly.

"Guten Tag, Frau Yellis." Miles yelled not too loudly across the large classroom. The teacher nodded in our direction and then returned to the rest of her work.

"Oh, I know." He answered, starting to copy down his work. "We heard everything, Alex. Ross got a bit angry too; we had to stop him from going over to your friends and crushing them to a pulp."

"Oh," I mumbled. "Well, then...thanks, I guess."

"No problem." He chuckled, concentrating on his work now.

I felt myself blush deeply.

I started to write and by the time I finished the first eight sentences of the work my mind started to wonder. I couldn't say anything now without Miles O'Connell definitely hearing it too. And exactly how much did he know of Jake's past? Did he now about Hannah as well? I didn't know much about the situation myself; it was a delicate subject and I didn't want to hurt Jake but I wanted to know how he felt about her. Did he feel the same way about her like he does now with me? Or more?

"Can you quieten down a little?"Miles complained. "You're hurting my ears!"

"I didn't say anything!" I said, confused.

He looked at me, puzzled. Then he smiled and put down his pencil.

"Oh," He said happily. "So they only told you about the one reason as to why I'm a _freak_?"

He laughed quietly.

"What's so funny?"

"You really don't know?" This seemed to make him laugh harder.

"What!" I said, getting angry now.

"Sorry, it's just funny. No wonder you didn't understand why I asked you to quieten down."

He checked to see if Mrs Yellis was getting angry but she hadn't even noticed us talking.

"Do you know my friend Maggie, the small one with short brown hair? She and I were...hunting. The girl we were tracking was an orphan. No one would miss her! She was an innocent; nothing." He murmured.

"Oi," I said angrily. "Watch it; remember who you're talking to."

"And you remember _what _you're talking to." He muttered sternly. Then he continued. "Maggie and I caught her easily as we chased her through the woods. But as soon we tasted her blood...Turns out the girl had mental problems. Could see and hear things that weren't there, but no one believed her."

He sighed heavily, although not for the girl he had murdered – for himself. "And now Maggie and I are even more different from the rest of the pack. We can...see things from other people's thoughts. It's not like reading someone's mind. The pictures are vague and blurry, a sum up of people's thoughts. You don't hear exact words, but you can tell what they're thinking and what it is about. For instance, you were thinking of love and loss, and of a girl and your own selfishness."

I would have slapped him. But as it was true I only glared at him harshly.

"It's very hard for Maggie and I. We can't _not_ see things. Sometimes our minds block it out naturally and other times it's so strong it drives us crazy, just like you've been driving me insane since we arrived here. You are so...unhappy!" He mumbled. He didn't mean to offend me. He was intrigued, interested. He watched me with eyes that saw straight through me.

"So what am I thinking now?" I playfully added, trying to prove him wrong.

For a moment he concentrated, and then quickly he grinned from ear to ear.

"For a very quick second, among the thoughts of boring and paperwork – possibly homework then – you had a thought of a handsome stranger that you are dying to kiss." He said, licking his bottom lip.

I felt myself blush deeply.

"That's so not true!"

"It was quite a strong thought as well, even if it was for a short moment." He smiled.

"Stop lying! It is so not true!" I shouted. Just then Miles turned to the board while everyone else – including the teacher – turned round to stare at us.

"Sorry." I mumbled, very embarrassed as I watched my pen scribble in my German book. I could hear Miles sniggering next to me for a second. I no I should have just left it, ignored him and thought of him as the immature child he was. Instead I let my winning side take over.

"You've got your little followers; why don't you stay in the same classes they're in?" I muttered, not looking at him.

"And who says they aren't?"

"Well, they're not here, are they?" I sneered, quickly having a clean sweep of the classroom, desperate to keep my confidence in check.

"I beg to differ, Miss White." He said, nodding in front of us. A girl sat on the desk before us, he same side as Miles. She had magnificent hair. It was similar to Miles but the girl's was cut very short, almost pixie-like in a cute way. A distance glance and you'd think it was black. But the obvious blue was dark and shiny. It was like water in the moonlight. Absolutely gorgeous!

The girl turned around and smiled at me. She was _very _childish looking, sweet and innocent. Her plump lips stretched and showed a perfect set of teeth, although slight sharp compared to a normal humans!

"Hello." She smiled. "I'm Maggie. Miles told you about me." It wasn't a question obviously – she'd been listening. "Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude."

Of course, she could hear my thoughts. _Idiot!_

"Yeah, sorry about that."

"No problem." She laughed. "Now, ignore Miles. He can be a right Meany but he only really talks to the humans he likes!" Maggie insisted. She turned her seat right round to face us properly.

"Shut up, Maggie. I don't like...that." He said, grimacing at me. I growled at him –no where near deep enough like the wolves' growl – and turned back to Maggie, who was surprisingly being nice to me, a human.

"Liar! You're not the only who can read minds. And yours is like looking through a window at the moment." Maggie giggled sweetly.

I grinned at my chance for the upper hand.

"Oh yeah? And what exactly is it you can see?"

"Shut up, Maggie." He snarled quietly. "Your loyalty's to me!"

"Oh, hush." Maggie laughed at Miles and then looked back to me. "Miles thoughts are of loneliness, umm...you, craving...Oh." She whipped her head back to her friend, who was fuming and eyes fierce on her. "Oh, I am sorry. I didn't mean..."

She fell silent and then turned round to face the board. Whatever else she'd seen, it had obviously surprised her enough.

I watched Miles with calculating eyes as he calmed down, his eyes on his work.

"Are you done staring at me like I'm some animal?" He muttered sharply.

"Not really, no." I murmured, still watching him when he popped his head up to watch me too.

"Oh, great thanks." He muttered. "What exactly is it that you want?"

"To know what you were thinking." I murmured again.

"Tough." He said defensively.

Trying to win him over, I put my hand gently onto his arm. He looked at it and flinched as I said gently, "Please?"

He sighed heavily.

"I don't hate you...But that _does not_ mean I like you." He muttered.

"You don't like showing weakness, right?"

"Not even slightly." He sighed again. "So thanks."

"Anytime."

"So, you and Jake, huh?" He said, going back to his normal cocky self. "Good luck with that."

"What makes you say that?"

"Everyone who's a vampire has heard of Jake Young, the Innocents man!"

"Yeah, well... he's changed and I love him."

"I'm sure you do, or at least enough to let him do that to you." He laughed. "I've never even done _that_ before!"

"OK...What the _hell_ are you talking about, _freak_?" I pushed on.

He growled deeply at that. "Outside? You can't tell me you don't know?"

"Know what!"

"He marked you." He laughed. "And you didn't know!"

"He what?" I screamed, not too loudly. I saw red. How could he have done that to me without asking? No...Jake wouldn't have.

"Yes he could." He said, reading my thoughts. "Every vampire knows how to mark a human. It's in their blood."

Intrigued, I asked, "What happens?"

He chuckled lightly. "The vampire scratches the Innocent's skin and the venom keeps the damaged skin marked. Supposedly, no one is to drink from or bite another vampire's marked innocent. So now...you belong to Jake Young."

I gawped at Miles. He grinned.

"I could smell the venom from miles away."

"Oh...my...god." I murmured. "How could he do that to me? I don't belong to anyone!"

"That's not what he thinks." He paused and then grinned even wider. "Wish it was me instead?"

I frowned. I wasn't in the mood for joking.

"I wasn't joking but whatever." He muttered.

Why would he mark me? He knows I love him. Why did he ever think making me _belong_ to him be necessary?

"Maybe he hasn't changed as much as you think." Miles murmured softly. And we packed away as the bell rang sharply throughout the school.


	17. Pack Your Stuff

"Alex, is that you?" the deep voice slurred from the living room. I shut the door loudly and threw my bag onto the table.

"Yeah," I muttered, going straight towards the fridge in the kitchen, grabbing a diet coke and an apple. I walked back into the living room and watched as my dad sat there, slugging from his beer and watching yesterday's recorded Eastenders.

"Go straight to bed." Dad ordered, not looking at me once. This was the usual routine of the day. I'd get up for school, - dad would be either asleep or out – then come home from school and only come downstairs for dinner – an endless routine.

"Sure, dad."

"Oh, and have you broken up with that boy yet?" He laughed drunkenly. I muttered no and then ran upstairs to my room. I threw my bottle onto my bed and turned back to shut my bedroom door. Something brushed my arm.

"God!" I gasped.

Jake stood behind me and grinned.

"Well, not quite." Jake laughed quietly.

I pushed into him, but he didn't move an inch.

"Jake! What the hell?" I said, still under shock. I moved around him to sit down on my bed. Instead, I fell down. He came over to sit next to me and put his hand in mine. He looked as gorgeous as ever. His hair seemed even messier than usual and his eyes were as dark as black. I could tell he was getting thirsty.

"I heard your father downstairs. He's...well, an unfair, disgusting git." Jake muttered.

"Don't you think I know that Jake?"

He smiled gently, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Of course."

We sat there for a while. Jake lay down next to me, not letting goof my hand and stayed there, both of us watching each other. Then I remembered what happened in school earlier.

"Why did you mark me, Jake, without telling me? Or asking me before hand?" I murmured, too tired and fed-up to accuse him angrily.

He sat there, frowning. He didn't answer until a minute after.

"Miles told you?"

I nodded.

He sighed heavily. "I guess – ok, I needed him to know you belonged to me."

"Belong to you?" I said, open mouthed.

"That's the closet thing to what I feel. And I'm sorry if you do not like that, but I can't help it. I feel as if...one day... you'll leave me. I'm not good enough for you, _or _good _for_ you. And I can't handle the thought of someone else taking you away. It was selfish of me, I apologise." He mumbled truthfully. "Shall I go?"

"NO!" I quickly shouted. I fell silent, waiting to see if my father would come upstairs to check on me, but I soon realise that _that_ would never happen.

Jake chuckled and brought my hand to his lips, pressing gently and then kissing each fingertip.

"Thank you." He murmured to me. I smiled back.

"You know, I don't mind _belonging _to you. I just wish you had told me first." I insisted. "Besides, this means we can be together forever...metaphorically."

Suddenly Jake's eyes looked upset, hurt.

"What's wrong?" I said, worried

"Years..." He whimpered. "That is all we're ever going to have together. And I...don't think I can handle that."

I stroked his cheek softly, his beautiful cold skin. He pushed his cheek further into my hand and I rested it like that.

"It doesn't have to be like that." I reassured him. "Turn me."

"What?"

"Turn me into a vampire. Change me and then we have forever. Think about it..." I pushed. He frowned for a while, thinking about it.

"Alex, I've thought about changing you since the day I met you!"

"So you'll change me?" suddenly excited.

"Well...yeah." He laughed ecstatically. "But not yet. We'll wait a few years, maybe do things that you should do when you're _human_."

"Like..."

He smiled. "Move in with me."

"Ok. But I don't think being a human is a necessity to do that."

"No, I mean _move in with me_." He said slowly, grinning from ear to ear. I felt the shock take over my body and I could feel it start to appear on my face. He looked slightly worried, and quickly I changed my expression to the way I felt.

"Yes. Yes, oh, my god. Let's move in together!" I said, not too loudly that my dad would hear but loud enough to show how excited I was. I felt my eyes fill with tears and I hugged Jake tightly.

"Wow. So...Umm, when do you want to pack your stuff?" He grinned.

"How about now?"

"Fantastic." He laughed. We both felt high at the moment. I kissed his lips passionately, hugged myself close to him then gathered the few clothes and possessions I had. Jake didn't even need to help me.

Five minutes later and we were down the stairs with a suitcase and my school bag. We were almost outside of the door when dad only just noticed. He leapt up from the couch towards us.

"Alex, where the hell do you think you're going? And how did he get in?" He yelled.

With a slightly shaky voice, I mumbled, "I'm moving out, dad."

I tried to reach for the door handle but dad grabbed my wrist.

"The hell you are!" He shouted.

A snarl rose next to me as Jake's fierce eyes watched my father's tight grip on my arm. He yanked it off roughly and opened the door for me. He held it open for me and I walked through shyly.

"You're shagging a vampire?" My dad said not too loudly. Jake suddenly burst out laughing and mumbled something about him being a 'pathetic drunk'. I shook my head and smiled up in oar at him.

"I wish."

He laughed even harder at that and Jake slammed the door into my dad's shocked face.

"So how are we going to get to your house?" I asked. I wrapped my arms round his neck as he did the same to my waist.

"I already called Molly. She'll be here in the car in about... now." He grinned widely. And without looking, his sister drove up behind him with a happy look on here face.

She wound down the window and screamed out, "Hey there, roomie!"


	18. Mrs Nibbs

"Oh...my...god!" Tina gasped. She was shocked, but she was also the only one of my friends who could talk at the moment. We sat there, Jake and I, waiting for their response. Jake was grinning. Me on the other hand, I was too worried about what they'd say.

Other than Tina, Dylan was the first to snap out of the shock. He stretched across the table and slapped Jake on the back and kissed my forehead. Jake was happy enough to let that one slide.

"That's great news! I'm so pleased for you both!"

After he started everybody else all woke up from their trance and congratulated us. Even Ryan was kind, although he only congratulated _me_. He walked around the table and pulled me into a gripping hug.

"At least you'll be shot of that useless man you have to call your father." He muttered, but it didn't down my mood. I pulled away and smiled as he smiled at me. Then his eyes moved away from me and set on another's, just skimming my head. I turned my head to see Miles watching me, neither happy nor sad. His expression was empty.

Maggie was also there, but she was grinning like a Cheshire cat! She skipped over to me and as Ryan let go of me, unwillingly, she surrounded me with her arms and gently squeezed. I hugged her back, not at all embarrassed. I had a feeling that Maggie and I would be great friends.

"Aww, Alexandra, I just heard! I'm so happy for you." Maggie squealed and pulled away. "Are you happy?"

"Very." I grinned back at her. I looked over at Jake, and although I shouldn't have been surprised, I saw him frowning at us. Or to be specific – Maggie. I hoped Maggie didn't go over to congratulate Jake; he would only be rude. Maggie looked at me and nodded. I guess she didn't even need to read my mind after seeing Jake's face, anyway. She skipped back to Miles, who acknowledged me slightly with a simple nod. Maggie waved goodbye excitedly.

"See you in German?" She asked and then pranced outside, pulling Miles with her. Miles tried to resist but only half-heartedly. Once they had gone, Jake was next to me instantly. He wrapped me in his arms tightly and I did the same. We held our faces apart to talk. I smiled up at him, impossibly sweetly.

He chuckled but then his face grew serious again.

"Now do you see why I marked you?" He asked innocently.

Jake did have a point. Miles said he hated me, and it was obvious that he despised humans, or what he liked to call 'Innocents'. Seeing as he was a vampire as well as a werewolf, could he be thirsting after my blood? Is that why he didn't want to move jus then? Is that what Maggie had seen in his thoughts? Why she seemed so surprised?

"Look, Alex," Jake said, looking away with a frown. "I just don't want you to get hurt. Everyone who knows Miles has been hurt, one way or another. And I don't want you to be next! I'm not as strong as him, and if I loose you...well, I'd much rather die."

I pulled myself closer to him. I put my lips so close to his that they almost touched. I whispered in his ear softly, "You'll never loose me. I'll be one of you soon enough, and then we can be together for always."

He laughed. "And I get to be the one who changes you."

"Even better."

"Do you know how important that is to me? That no vampire gets to change you apart from the one who loves you the most?" He sighed in content.

"Hmm," I said, pretending to think. "Now who will that be again?"

He nudged my nose with his, tickling it with the soft touch.

I giggled. The bell rang throughout the cafeteria. We walked down the hallway where we watched our friends go into their classrooms. Only Jake and I were left. We walked over to the German class. The hallways echoed with our footsteps and the sound of my giggles as Jake nibbled at my ear. We stopped outside my door. Jake leaned close to me, his arms trapping me in his musky smelling haven.

"Don't suppose you want to skip class this morning?" he asked slowly, slightly nervous as he moved closer towards me. I was getting nervous too.

"You're serious?"

"Mmm-hmm." He murmured. He got close enough that his breath tickled my face. "Do you want to?"

"But...how will we get home?" I whispered.

"Molly has got her car, but she needs that..."

"Oh," I mumbled, disappointed. "Never mind."

"Maybe," He whispered. "I mean, we could run?"

I laughed. Jake raised his eyebrow at me, questionably. "Well, no offense, Jake, but I don't think I could run right now, even if it is a short distance."

He chuckled too. Placing a hand on my cheek, he kissed my forehead and spoke with his lips grazing my skin as he did so. He held me there, his cold skin firmly in place and his musky, beautiful smell filling my nostrils.

"You know," He murmured, kissing my forehead again. "I could carry you; piggy-back style?"

I felt my eyes widen.

"Don't worry, sweetheart." He said, moving his lips all the way down my cheek to my neck. "I'll keep you safe."

"I know." I smiled. Then I realised the last time both of us stood outside this classroom door.

"Miles will know about this by now. We better go." I murmured. He sighed heavily and stepped away from me and took my hand, leading me to the office. Then I realised...

"Jake, how are we going to leave the school premises? Our wristbands..." I said, looking at my tight band around my arm, frowning in confusion.

"We have to ask the office to let us through." He whispered as we reached the school's reception desk. "Leave it to me."

Jake coughed politely to let Mrs Nibbs, the receptionist, know that we were there. She looked up from her notes and smiled at him. Mrs Nibbs was a vampire and the nicest member of staff in the entire school, or at least to vampires. Like many others, she believed humans were for blood banks, and no other reason.

"Oh, hello Mr. Young." She smiled over-politely. "And what can I do for you this afternoon?"

Jake swung his arm round my shoulders, letting it droop tiredly, and grinned at the receptionist.

"Mrs. Nibbs. It's good to see you. I need to ask a quick favour." He said in an almost seductive voice. Her cheeks blushed ever so slightly – I guessed she knew of Jake's past like everyone else – and nodded for him to continue. I ignored the jealousy that crept up to my throat in words that were far from polite. "I haven't fed in so long, and although I _despise_ sounding weak, I was wondering if you'd look the other way, so to speak, and let me and this young lady out for the rest of the day for a bite to eat."

Mrs Nibbs let out an outrageous laugh at Jake's cheesy joke. She swung her head back, shaking with laughter and giggles, almost falling off her chair. Quickly, Jake shot me a _'what the hell?'_ look and then turned back to his prey with a grin on his face. If I wasn't in on the plan and had no idea what he was up to, I'd have smacked him one!

Finally, Mrs Nibbs calmed down and the red on her cheeks was even darker.

"Oh, it's wouldn't be weak at all, Mr Young. Besides, you've done so well for the past several years with your attitude towards humans that I wouldn't dare deny you this reward." I felt Jake stiffen next to me. She put her foot out of line there, but I made sure I looked relaxed. "Just go right through the office and out the teacher's door. It should be unlocked; Mr Charles left not ten minutes ago. It leads right past the car park."

Although he seemed annoyed now, he kept up the act and followed Mrs Nibbs gesture through to the office. "Thank you."

We paused near the door for an agonising moment.

"Oh, Mr Young?"

"Yes?" Jake answered her, turning to see her with his arm slopped over my shoulders still.

"If you ever...need an escape again, I don't mind helping out in emergencies. This job doesn't pay me a lot, you see." She smiled kindly.

Jake nodded. "Thank you, Mrs Nibbs. I shall...bear it in mind." He said gratefully and then turned faster than needed to leave out of the teacher's exit. We kept silent until we passed the car park when Jake let out a ragged breath.

"What a disgusting excuse for a school staff member!" He exclaimed angrily.

"What was that all about back there?" I asked gently, rubbing his arm. "Was she, like, offering herself to you?"

He sighed. "Yes. She was offering herself as a...how can I put it...a blood prostitute. It's usually just with humans. Many people offer their blood to us for money. I find it sickening, and it's worse with it being a vampire, although their blood isn't as pure, of course."

I now felt sick.

"Right, are you ready?" He said. We were both trying to forget that ill thought and get on with being happy for now. He grinned at me, but I felt nervous. "Babe, it's ok. If this is too hard for you-"

"NO!" I shouted, so loudly it echoed against the walls of the houses across the street. I laughed at myself and then toned it down. "No, no I want to see what it's like to be as fast as you."

He grinned. "Ok then." And with his strong arms, he pulled me onto his back. Slightly scared, I tied my arms round his neck so tightly it would have choked a human. He just laughed harder. My legs hooked onto his sides so I wouldn't be able to fall of but so he could still move his legs. "Are you ready, love?"

"No." I whispered.

"Great." He chuckled and started running for a second at a human pace.

_This isn't so bad,_ I thought to myself until he got faster. _Much _faster. Houses and trees past us in a blur and I gasped, the wind hitting my face harshly. My breathing became quick and heavy as I clung myself to Jake. His worried voice spoke as I put my mouth close to his ear.

"Babe?" He said slowly. "We're almost there. You're ok, you're alright with me."

Calming down, I whispered close to his ear, "I know. I trust you."

"Thank you."

A few seconds later we arrived at my latest haven, my safe place. Jake dropped my from his back but didn't let go of my arms. He pulled me into a hug and kissed the top of my head.

"Are you alright, love?" He said, worry frantic in his voice. He pulled back now again to watch me, to check if I wasn't breaking down yet. But I was far from it.

"Wow!" I exclaimed, filled with the thrill of the speed. "Can we do that again?"

Jake laughed so loudly it shook us both. He pulled me into his house by my cold, small hand. My black hair was even wilder than usual from the wind and I felt dizzy from the excitement. Jake and Molly's house was much larger than m father's. It was a castle where coffins were hidden in the dudgeons. It was...normal. I guess I expected differently.

"You look so cute like that." He grinned and dragged me inside. I felt so content at this moment, and I knew that this, from now on, was my whole life and I'd expect nothing more.


	19. Two Hearts Entwined

**All i'm gonna say is: Dum dum da dummm, dum dum da dummmm.**

* * *

"So what do you guys want to do?" Molly asked as she skipped along next to us. We were walking down town altogether. Jake, me, Molly, Nate and Leona were out shopping in the freezing cold. Mainly for Bray's 'birthday' present – Jake said none of them particularly enjoyed celebrating the day they were changed, but Bray did. The others celebrated their human birthday, just without the age acceleration.

"Well, Nate and I are going into Dorothy Perkins for that silver jacket Bray wanted. Do you want to meet back up in an hour?" Leona asked, grabbing Nate's arm and pulling him along.

"Oh, and take this little pest with you." Jake said, nudging Molly with his shoulder. "I'd like some, umm...alone time with my girlfriend." He said chuckling. He now nudged me, reminding me of the other night, making me giggle.

"Sure." Leona said, taking Molly by the hand and dragging her too – she seemed to know more than me. Was he not talking about last night? Molly looked offended by her brother, and blew a childish raspberry at him. They walked off with a pissed off Molly and walked into several shops and stood open mouthed whenever they saw something they liked in the window. Jake pulled me away and we started walking in the other direction to them. He held my hand tightly, squeezing it once every minute or so, but my mind was somewhere else. I was thinking about us, specifically us last night.

It had been incredible! Everything was perfect, exactly how I thought my first time would be. Jake was vey sweet and I didn't think it could get any better. It must have been the best night – or day – of my life.

"Would you like to get something to drink?" Jake suddenly asked. My thoughts drifted and I nodded. He pulled me into Starbucks. I suddenly felt much warmer. I sat down on the worn out couch as Jake ordered our drinks. He smiled over at me from the queue quite a few times; God, he was so gorgeous! In every way possible. I don't think I could ever understand how I could be in a relationship with such a god-like man.

Jake brought over out drinks – Jake's hot chocolate with whipped cream and mini marshmallows, and my summer fruits smoothie. He sat next to me and the first thing he did was kiss me on the cheek and put his hand straight in mine.

"You look beautiful today, Alex." He said adoringly. I'd gone for something fairly different and unusual for me today. I wore a mini black skirt and black Ugg boots, with a bright yellow, long sleeved top. It was pretty and simple, but something devilish about it. I knew this from when Jake said soon after, "And sexy!"

I felt my cheeks redden so I took a large gulp of my smoothie. Then my head started pounding, making my cheeks turn even worse than before as I instantly clutched at my head.

"Ahh, brain freeze!" I moaned. I bared with it for a second. When everything was back to normal, I looked back at Jake. He frowned at me.

"You know what really kills me?" He asked coldly. "There are so many things that I don't save you from."

I laughed once. "Jake, it was brain freeze, not a car accident."

He shook his head stubbornly. "No, I mean, there have been many...more important... incidents where I wasn't there for you. Like your father, or with Maria."

"Jake, that's rubbish. You cannot protect me from the world. And actually you did save me. You took me away from dad by letting me live with you. And then you did save me from Maria. I could have been dead!"

"Exactly." He said with a voice sharp as ice. He glared at my smoothie cup. "You almost died, because I told her, when you _warned _me that it wasn't a good idea. If I got to school a second later, you'd be unconscious, or worse!"

"No. No no no no! Stop it, Jake. It's not fair, blaming yourself like this. It's unnecessary and idiotic. You have saved my life on many occasions and I am so thankful I have you in my life. Now please, I was really happy, thinking about...us."

"Ok." He murmured after a long pause. "I apologise for downing your mood." He chuckled slightly. "You know I was thinking about us too?"

I raised my eyebrow.

"Last night was amazing. I've never had that connection with any other person before, and I'm so glad it was with you. I love you so, so much!" He grinned. I couldn't help but smile too. I moved so close to him that we could have been one, and I kissed him fiercely, reminding him even more of the other night.

He groaned under my lips.

"I beg you." He murmured huskily. "Stop teasing me otherwise I will not be able to last another second."

"Sounds good to me. But the customers might have a small problem with that."

He chuckled. "Do you know that before I was changed I wanted to open up my very own coffee shop?"

"Really?" I said round his lips.

"Yes." He murmured. "But it kind of went out the window when I turned into a human blood sucking demon."

"You forgot sexy – a sexy human blood sucking demon." I said. I pulled away and let the icy drink fall inside my throat again. I offered him some of mine but he grimaced. I noticed he hadn't drunk any of his hot chocolate either.

"You could still do it, you know. Open up your own business, I mean."

"Afraid not, love." He said. "I couldn't let myself take that risk. It's enough that I put _you_ at risk, let alone the rest of the public."

He put his arm around my waist as we left our half drunken drinks behind and left the cosy coffee shop. We went in and out of shops until we only had about ten minutes left of alone time. We stopped outside a jewellery shop where the most beautiful necklaces were on display. A silver one caught my eye. It was two hearts entwined with small diamonds studded everywhere. It was absolutely stunning, and the price was even more. I sighed and pulled Jake along, but he would not move. He stared at it, smiling. I knew that smile without a doubt.

"Oh, no you don't, Jake!" I moaned, tugging on him as best I could. And then suddenly his hand disappeared from mine. I looked around quickly for him and within five seconds he was back. I felt his cold hands on my neck, sending shivers down my spine – good shivers – and a slightly colder touch fell onto my chest.

"Oh, god. Jake, its way too expensive! Take it back right now." I shouted half heartedly as I looked down to see the same necklace hanging from my neck onto my pale skin. I looked into the store window. It actually really suited the outfit perfectly, and me, but it simply made me feel even guiltier. Jake wound his arms around my waist and nestled his chin on my shoulder, kissing my neck just above the new necklace.

"You both look amazing."

"Please, Jake, I can accept this-" But he cut in quickly.

"Yes you can." He insisted. "If not, it's an early Christmas present."

I laughed, feeling a little better.

"But that's four months away...Fine, but this is all you're getting me." I said. "Otherwise you're taking it back."

"Umm, sure. Only present." He said as I caught him rolling his eyes.

"Well, thank you. It's beautiful." Then I untwisted myself from his hold and caught his hand. "Come on, or we'll be late to meet with the others."

He grinned and kissed my forehead. We started walking and I remembered something that I had been wondering about for a while now.

"Jake, what other stuff are you making me do before you change me?" I asked curiously.

"Making you?" He said with fake hurt. I smiled innocently and he carried on. "Well, you've already moved in. What else would you like to do?"

And before I had a chance to stop myself, I shouted, "No kids!" Jake burst out laughing, clutching his stomach. I frowned at him which he saw and quickly _tried_ to calm down.

"Ok." He choked out in between quiet fits. "No children – check."

"Besides...what else is there?" I asked, confused. "Why don't you just change me sooner rather than later? Like this week?"

"Well... I could, but," He said blankly. "Isn't there something else?"

We stopped in the middle of the pathway for a moment, and then he smiled suddenly. I wondered what he was up to. We had little time to go find his sister and my newish vampire friends. Jake looked around suddenly, smiling in the happiest way. I had no idea what he was up to and it was making me incredibly nervous! Taking both of my hands, he let out a strained breath.

"Like what? Jake?"

"I'm going to do this now." He said his face different to before – he looked elated.

I fell silent as he bent down on one knee and held one of my hands in both of his. My breathing stopped and our eyes caught – mine surprised and his excited and nervous. Then he started speaking.

"Alex," He said huskily as if he was going to choke up. "I love you, so very much. You are and _always_ will be my entire life. I do not need anything but you, and I'd like to show that to you." He paused for a second, letting go of my hands to fumble around in his coat pocket. He then pulled out a small black box.

"Oh, Jesus! I...Oh, Jake!" was all I could say.

He smiled, opening up the box. I gasped as I saw the ring. It was stunning! A beautiful diamond. He grinned at my expression. Unexpected tears fell down my cheeks and onto my lips as I sniffled. His eyes started to sparkle too.

"Alex..." He said proudly, tightening his grip on the box as his nerves rose. "Will you marry me?"

I tried to smile through the tears and the gasping as I nodded so quickly that it actually hurt.

"Yes."

And Jake pushed off his knee and wrapped me in his arms tightly. I ignored his grip and buried myself in him. I was on the highest level I could ever be.

"God, thank you." He sniffed, kissing my cheek, my lips, my tears. After a minute he pulled away. I smiled as he slipped the ring onto my delicate finger. He pulled me back into hug and he picked me up, swinging me around and around as applauses echoed around us from the watching audience.


	20. Nothing But A Scratch

_**Ryan's Point Of View**_

"Where the hell is she?" I moaned at my friends. All week it had been driving me crazy. Alex and Jake were gone. Missing. And the only person who she'd been in contact with was Molly Young! Of all people, she phones her. Not even me – her best friend, the one who has been through everything with her since we first met. She even had the nerve to call Jake's sister in class when I was there! I wouldn't have been surprised if she hadn't asked about me.

"Ryan – chill, okay? I spoke to Molly yesterday and she said they'd be in today." Tina insisted. We were sitting in Technology doing woodwork. Alexandra was usually in this class so I impatiently stared at the door, waiting for her to return. Dylan and Cole were just as frustrated as me. We all missed Alex, and we didn't even know if she was safe! She was constantly in my head. I had been driving myself insane this past week, asking myself if she was hurt, if her boyfriend was really with her or not? For all I knew she could have been lying in a gutter at one point, bleeding to death! I missed her so much, I always did.

My eyes were fixed on the blue door that she'd walk through eventually. And as soon as she would, I'd be at her like mad. I didn't care if she pulled her puppy dog eyes – I'd ignore them and stick to asking questions. Although... I didn't want to scare her. I'd learnt that lesson quite a few times recently. I couldn't handle pushing her away again.

I'd be nice. I would ask her where she'd been and if everything was ok. It didn't matter how angry I'd be, losing her wasn't an option. To be honest, Alexandra White was _everything_ to me. My best friend, my soul mate, my sister... in my opinion I could not exist without her. And it killed me to see her with Jake, but she was happy. I loved her, but she didn't feel the same. So I would hide it until it would eventually kill me – all for her.

"Alex!" Dylan shouted happily.

I snapped out of my daydream and saw her. Not that she didn't usually, but today – of all days – she looked absolutely stunning. Her black hair cascaded in front of her shoulders and she had no make up on, showing off her natural beauty. She was wearing a short black skirt and a white flowing top, instead of her usual hoody, skinny jeans fiasco. She wore an expensive looking necklace that emphasised her chest and sparkled in the sunlight.

"Where the hell have you been?" Tina screamed happily, getting up to hug Alex. I frowned at them both and was about to ask her my questions until Tina, loud mouth, butted in again. "What is that on your finger?"

I looked at the hand which Tina held up to see. Alex looked embarrassed as another piece of jewellery sparkled in the sunlight. I got up abruptly from my stool and snatched her hand away from Tina. She growled and backed away but I ignored her.

"You didn't...?" I said, not wanting to believe it. Her cheeks were pink and she avoided my questioning eyes. She had.

"You married that fucking twat?!" I shouted in her face. My worries about upsetting her earlier had evaporated. I clenched my fists and she cringed away. "Did that ass push you into it? Or are you just totally brainless up there?"

"Shut up, Ryan. You have no idea. I love him, and I want to be with him forever." She shouted back in my face. My breathing was heavy and shaky; she stepped away into the wall. I was aware that my friends we behind me, ready to tackle me if I hurt her in any way. "He's changing me in a week."

That did it. I span round a slammed my fist into the wooden table. The legs gave way and crashed to the floor, making the whole classroom shriek and gasp. A saw and other various equipment flew off the table.

I stood there, panting. I didn't want to hurt her. I was about to storm out of the classroom until something went slamming into my face. A fist.

My body swung back from the after shock, ready to attack until I saw Jake Young, holding onto a crying Alex. She clutched at him, his arms as he hugged her closer. He watched me, snarling. There was blood on his hands.

"You idiot!" He yelled. My other friends surrounded her too. It was then that I saw her arm had a large gash from something sharp. She stood in the middle of the equipment that flew from the table. Dylan was next to her with his chest bare, holding his own t-shirt to her arm. He shook is head at me, disappointed.

I could feel myself shaking frantically. I fell to my knees and I held my face in my hands. A second after I was down I felt warm hands around me. There was only one person it would be.

"I always end up hurting you." I muttered, disgusted with myself. And it was true. I'd hurt Alex so many times I had lost count. I didn't _want_ to hurt her, it just always happened!

"Yeah, you do." She murmured, which surprised me. "That's part of the fun."

I shook my head angrily.

"What? Ryan its fine – nothing but a scratch." She insisted sarcastically. She lifted my head up b my chin. I saw her drying tears – the skin shone in the midday light. Her beautiful face forgiving. But I would stop being so selfish now – for her.

"No. I can't do this anymore." I muttered, standing up. I walked over to Jake. He knew what I was going to do, because if he was me, he would do the same.

"Two minutes, alright? That's all I ask for." I muttered angrily at him. He hesitated, but then nodded. I unclenched my fists. "Then come get her." I mumbled, saying it as I turned round and took Alex's hand.

Before we left Technology, I heard Jake whisper to me, so Alex could not hear, "Hurt her and I will kill you." I chuckled with no humour and took Alex to the English room we last spoke in privately. We went in and I sat her down, closing the door behind me. Turning around, I leaned on the door, scared for what I was about to say. She looked a little scared too, amongst the confusion.

"Ryan...?" She murmured. I sighed heavily, feeling a lump in my throat and a knife in my heart.

"I'm leaving, Alex."

She still looked confused. I walked up to her and sat on the floor, crossing my legs. I took her small, fragile hands. I kissed each finger, memorising what she felt like, what she smelt like. I didn't know how long I'd be gone, but it would hurt as much if I didn't come back at all. I pulled that hand up to my cheek and held it there, and started working on the other hand.

"Wait, Ryan...You're not actually....leaving this place, right? It's just for today. You'll be back right?" She said franticly. I shook my head and she drew in a breath as realisation hit her. "NO! "No, you are not leaving! I need you here, we all do." She said, grabbing my face in her hands and shaking it, trying to knock some sense into me; this was the only time I have made sense.

"This is the only way I can't hurt you." I whispered, more to myself than Alex. She screamed no, tears replacing her old ones. God, how I would miss her tantrums! She really was everything to me. Sometimes I used to wait outside of class, just to see if she was alright. If she had an argument, I always had to be there, to keep her safe. Now the only way of keeping her safe was by leaving her.

"No! Stop it!" She screamed. She was working herself up and her breathing was getting way too fast and worried. She had let go of my head and covered her eyes with her hands. I felt my eyes starting to swim – I had to be strong. But I gave in a little.

I let my head rest in her lap. She let her head fall down on mine. I felt her sniff my hair, kiss it. God, she drove me crazy.

She whispered. "I love you, Ryan. Please? You're like my brother...you – you can't leave."

"I love you, too. Like you will never know." I whispered. Her smell swam around my mind. I couldn't get enough of her.

Suddenly, she grabbed my hair roughly and yanked my head up to we were face to face. Se looked angry.

"If you leave you'll be hurting me more than you ever cold." She growled. I was planning to shake my head but she quickly stopped me. She pulled my face close to hers and my lips touched. I couldn't believe this. It was only a soft kiss, I wouldn't have been sure if it happened until she whispered to me again.

"Don't leave."

"I have to." I whispered, my lips touched hers as we spoke. Hesitant, I kissed her again, pushing my lips onto hers. "I love you, Alex."

I broke the kiss quickly before I changed my mind and I got up. She started sobbing again and stood up, her hands over her mouth. She was close to hysterical. I could here Jake walking down the corridor – he would have no idea about our kiss and he didn't need to know.

"Ryan, I'm begging you, don't leave. I'll just stay away from you for a while, as long as you're still around. Just...don't go." She whimpered.

"I couldn't stand that, Alex; to not be able to talk to you, never to hold your hand? It would be the worst type of torture. I'm sorry." I muttered. I felt tears drip from my soaked eyes, I had to get away from here, now. I memorised her beautiful face, not like this. I remembered her smile.

I stepped away as she tried to hug me. I couldn't keep delaying this.

Again, I whispered, "I'm sorry." And yanked the door open. As I passed a casual Jake, I muttered to him, "Look after her for me." And then ran out of the hallway. I quickly glanced behind me and saw Alex collapse into her boyfriend's arms, screaming my name as I kept on running, leaving this school behind me.


	21. Meet Up With Maggie

It was just another day at school. Before Ryan had left I had been counting down the days until Jake would turn me into a vampire. Now, I spent my days waiting for Ryan to come back; I refused to believe that he was being serious, and if he was, then he would come back soon.

"Alex, babe, I've been thinking," Jake murmured as we sat next to each other in English. "Maybe we should hold off your changing. You haven't been well, and I wouldn't want to risk it."

"Mm-hmm" I simply mumbled. I couldn't care about anything now. My best friend left me – I was wounded. I hadn't talked to anyone but Molly. I didn't want to talk to Jake about it. I couldn't hurt him by telling him how much Ryan leaving was hurting me.

"Do you want to talk to me at all?" He said sourly.

"Sorry?"

"Oh, come on, Alex. You've hardly spoken to me for the past two weeks!"

"I'm sorry." I mumbled. I let my head fall sleepily onto the table. I heard Jake sigh and felt his hand stroke my hair softly.

"Look, Alex, I know you're upset about Ryan but you need to stop this. I hate seeing you like this." He said. He pulled my head up gently then pulled me over so my whole body was leaning into him. "I can't believe you're my wife. It seems too good to be true."

"I know what you mean." I said happily. It was the longest I'd spoken for almost 2 weeks. "Bt it feels right, you know? And I so want to change, Jake, I do."

He sighed heavily. "I know you do. But I'm not sure if we should right now. You know it means everything to me, changing you but if you weren't strong enough and you didn't pull through... I don't think I could last a single day without you."

"I will pull through, Jake... I guess if it means that much to you, I'll wait." I insisted. I kissed his cheek and got back on with our work.

It was next lesson when Miles spoke to me for the first time in weeks. I sat in my normal place in German when I noticed that Maggie wasn't in.

"She hasn't been seeing things lately." Miles said. "People's thoughts are blurred so she's hunting."

"Oh." I said curiously. "Why is that?"

"She's just hungry. It happens to the best of us." Then eventually he looked at me. "It's good to hear your voice. I was beginning to think you lost it."

"At least you could hear my thoughts. Some people didn't even hear that." I laughed half heartedly.

"Oh, and weren't they cheerful!"

I sighed heavily and pushed his arm in punishment. "I've just lost my best friend. What do you expect?"

"You haven't lost him, Alex. He left because he didn't want to hurt you anymore. That just shows you how much he really is there for you."

I thought about that for a minute. Miles was right – Ryan was trying to do the right thing, even if it did hurt like hell without him in my life.

"Anyway, I'm just glad you are feeling a bit better." He said.

"Wow, I never thought I would see the day Miles O'Connell cared about a human." I waited for his defensive 'yeah, like I would?' or 'who said anything about if I cared or not?' but was surprised to hear his response.

"Yeah, well, people change." He muttered. I frowned at him in confusion. He sighed then carried on. "Look, Alex, you're nicer than the rest. And believe it or not, I do have feelings and I've grown to like you."

"Wow." I mumbled.

"So, maybe we could hang out sometime?"

"Oh, sure. I'd like that, actually." I grinned.

"After school, the gang and I have to meet up with Maggie and hunt so it won't be tonight."

I wondered what it would be like to watch them hunt. I remember Ryan telling me the werewolves hunted humans, but only orphans. Most of the other times they hunted animals.

"I can see us in your thoughts. What exactly are you thinking of?" He said curious. I told him about what I what thinking about.

"Nope." He said. "We don't hunt humans anymore and we rarely hunt animals. We only hunt animals when were losing our strength, and Maggie and I when we can't see clearly." He hesitated, looking at me curiously. "Why? Do you want to come with us?"

"Really? Can I?" I said excitedly. I'd always wanted to see a werewolf shift.

"Sure. But we run fast so you might not be able to see much. But please...don't freak out. The others might get a bit annoyed at that."

"No, no I won't." I assured him.

"Great." He said smiling. "Meet me outside the park after school?"

"Great." I copied his words.

A little while later and the bell rang. I was glad Miles was tuning down his hard barrier and talking to me – it should be good for him. The rest of the day I looked forward to seeing the wolves shift. I'd been fascinated with the werewolves since I met Dylan and Cole and the girls. I didn't mention anything to my friends at lunch and I was terrified of telling Jake. I knew he wouldn't allow me to go but I was desperate to. Then I had an idea.

I skipped up to Molly, who sat with Nate, Leona and Bray. Molly smiled widely when she saw me. I grinned at her, although I was worried she'd hate the idea too.

"Hey gorgeous." Nate shot in before I could say anything. "I knew you'd fall for me one day."

"Ok..." I said. "I was actually just coming over to say a late happy birthday to Bray," I said and nodded in her direction.

"Aww, thank you, Alex." She said, laughing at Nate's shocked face.

"And also, Molly, I need ask you a favour." I said a bit quieter. She turned away from Nate and looked up at me.

"What's up?"

"I won't be home until later tonight. But you cannot tell Jake before you get home, otherwise he will totally freak out!"

"Why?" She asked with a suspicious look on her face. "What are you up to?"

"Miles O'Connell invited me to watch them hunt."

"No wonder you don't want Jake to find out." She said, her face twisted. "I've got to admit, Alex, it's not your greatest idea. But I know what you mean – I went to see some wolves shift before. It's great, so just go for it. But be careful. They can be a bit untrustworthy."

I smiled at her and nodded. Jake suddenly walked up to me then. I smiled at him as he wrapped his arms around me

"I've been looking for you." He said, tickling my nose with his. "How was German?"

"Extraordinarily good today." I said. "Miles and I started chatting again, but nice talk."

"He was nice to you?"

"Yes." I insisted, kissing his lips gently.

"Good." He said. "Then I won't have to kill him." He pulled me down onto his lap next to Molly. "So I was thinking maybe we could go out for dinner tomorrow, or tonight maybe?"

"Tomorrow night. I...have a lot of homework to do tonight. And I thought I'd have another look down town."

"Sure, have a nice time. But you'll be back before it is dark, right?"

"Of course." I said, slightly ashamed that I felt the need to hide this from him.

I sat, dreaming about and looking out the window in my last lesson. Eventually the bell rang and before the class was excused, I ran out of the door and practically flew out of the gates. I speed-walked to the outside of the park to meet Miles.


	22. Don't Belong Here

**In this chapter you really start to get to know the pack. There's...**

**_Miles_**

**_Maggie_**

**_Ross_**

**_Rachel_**

**_Romanie_**

**_Kodak_**

**And not forgeting the awesome _Diego_!!! xoxo**

* * *

I saw Miles jogging up to me, grinning from ear to ear. As he reached me, he dumped his bag onto the side of the pavement. He took mine from me and put it next to mine, more gently.

"Ok, are you ready?" He said rubbing his hands together.

"Sure."

We started walking into the park – I had never been here before. It was an ordinary park, a little on the cheap side. There were swings, a slide, monkey bars and a see-saw. All the posts were covered with graffiti. I noticed we headed straight through to the back were trees blocked my sight. We walked straight into the woods.

"So you hunt in here?" I asked.

"Well, it's the safest place for us. No hunters are here, not that they could get us. But if they did try and shoot us, not all of us are so merciful." He said as we continued to walk through the shreds of dead leaves and twigs.

"So what's it like, shifting? Is it painful?"

He looked at his feet, pushing up the leaves as he took a step. The fading sun shone down through the branches, hitting his face. He really was handsome. "It's not so much painful than numb. When we shift, for those few seconds we are vulnerable and our wolf senses take charge. That's why you need to stay back from us when that point comes. We could end up hurting you."

I fell silent for a minute, thinking about that.

"Don't be scared." He whispered with a smirk on his face. "Just...be aware. It's only a short distance to the park. Alex, if I tell you to run, then run. You know the way back to your house, right?"

"Right." I said for all of what he just said. I never thought about the bit where I might get hurt and have to get away from them.

"I'll keep you safe."

And as he said that, I saw five dark, stiff figures in big space that had a few trees here and there. Jake pulled in front of me, but moved his hand to signal that I should follow right behind him. As silence filled the air, I noticed who was who. The silent two, Romanie and Kodak were looking at each other intently, which was a bit awkward for a brother and sister. The two other boys stood furthest apart from each other but were in front of everyone else, protecting them. The girl Rachel watched me with cold eyes from the back, and when she glanced at Miles, they looked betrayed.

It was then that I noticed Maggie wasn't here yet. She would probably catch up later.

"She will." Miles voice said to me. Rachel growled slightly. I felt myself cower behind Miles but he shifted his body to stand next to me.

"So..." The Jude Law look-a-like spoke. "Who's this then?"

"Diego, this is Alexandra White." Miles said boldly. He turned his face to me and murmured, "Alex, this is Diego."

Diego came forward with a knee-wobbling smile on his face. He shook my hand.

"How do you do?"

I smiled back at him and returned to my place next to Miles.

"So what brings you here?" he asked purely innocent. Miles replied for me.

"She wanted to see us shift." He said, and quickly, his head popped up to snarl the words, "And that's it." At Rachel, who was still cowering at the back. Her face was twisted with anger, and something else.

I put my lips closer to Miles's ear. "She doesn't want me here, does she?"

Miles looked down at my face with the slightest hint of a smile on his lips. But Rachel shouted out before he could even draw in a breath to speak.

"No I do not!" Rachel yelled. "You don't belong here, _Innocent_."

"And nor do you if you use the term _Innocent_. You know very well it's a vampire saying, and you are barely even a werewolf." Miles said quiet flatly.

She growled fiercely at him.

"Why did you even bring her? Are you that desperate for her that you have to beg?"

"I beg for no one." He said proudly. "You on the other hand..."

"I beg for you because I am a fool, but you are the one who took me from my old life. You are the only thing I know. You can't judge that as you were the same once." She muttered. Miles face stiffened and his eyes narrowed.

I had no idea that Rachel would speak so openly about her feelings for Miles. She looked upset, but she was obviously keeping much more in than she was letting out.

"Why don't you just go hunt with Maggie?" Miles muttered, and then turned to look at me. "I'm sorry about this, Alex."

"It's fine." I whispered, staying even closer to him. He watched me with his eyes, his face blank and his eyes dark with anger.

"Err, actually O'Connell, Maggie hasn't even tried to find us yet." The other man, Ross, said. Miles suddenly looked away from me.

"Are you sure?" He said, his voice hiding his worry. "Did you shift?"

"No, we were waiting for you." Rachel said begrudgingly. Miles frowned at the floor and ten looked up.

"I can't hear her." He said frustrated. He quickly turned to me. "Alex, we're going to have to find Maggie. If I can't hear her at all, it could mean she's unconscious. Just...don't be scared, ok? Remember it's still me."

He stepped away from me, not even waiting for my reply.

"Rachel?"

"No way, I'm coming too."

He sighed and muttered great. Diego coughed as if he wanted Miles attention.

"You could always kiss the new girl? That should get her angry enough to change." He laughed quietly. Miles raised an eyebrow, as if he was considering it.

_No way, don't even think about it, _I thought to Miles. He chuckled and then sighed again, this time it was a tired sigh, not an annoyed one. He didn't even look as Rachel sauntered up from behind him. When she was close, he turned and I was shocked t see him take her in his arms, so gently, so tenderly that it looked like a couple in love. I heard Rachel hitch on her breathing as he drew close. He kissed her gently for a few seconds. To be honest, I felt sick.

Diego walked over to stand next to me, his arms folded like mine.

"I know exactly how you feel. It's the same every time. Lucky that she always falls for it, though, because when we have to get her angry, we all get bruised up like a peach, _except_ for Miles." He said. He made a gagging noise, making me giggle.

Miles and Rachel were kissed more passionately now. And when I looked really closely, I saw that Miles's eyes were shut incredibly tight.

"Watch out, she's going." Ross said. Kodak and Romanie, who hadn't moved since I arrived, suddenly ran over to us. Ross did the same. I didn't have clue about what they were talking about until I saw that Rachel was shaking. She had actually stopped kissing Miles, but he hadn't stopped. His eyes still squeezed shut, he moved around her lips. If his lips weren't so busy working right now, he'd be grimacing.

"Miles has to carry on until she snaps, otherwise she won't change." Diego helped me understand. We kept on stepping back until my back hit a tree with a thick slam. "Alex, come on, you need o step back a little more." Diego said, grabbing my hand. But I was frozen. I watched as Rachel's body blurred as it trembled so much. I noticed that Miles had opened his eyes and they froze on mine. Amongst his hard barrier and his leadership and his fierce snarl, I saw that he really was just a teenager. And right now, he looked a little scared, But I wasn't sure if it was for me or for him...

"Miles! Look out!" Diego yelled but it was too late. The sound of tearing filled the woods, like clothes being ripped. Fur flew from where Rachel was. Paws reached out and scraped where Miles was. Again, the tearing sound scarred my ears and the giant fur ball knocked Miles to the floor. He was close to me and I screamed out his name, which surprised me, but I was not worried about _that._ I tried to reach him but Diego held me strongly in place.

Where Rachel had been standing, a wolf stood over Miles and a pile of torn clothes. Not just a wolf, she was huge! Not much smaller than a horse. She was magnificent! She was a very light brown colour on the top and it got darker near her belly. She watched me with the same eyes as for when she was human just a second ago. Se sniffed a couple of times and then whined. She turned sharply and ran off through the trees.

"She can smell her. We have to hurry." Miles said.

Quickly, I gasped and bent down to try and help him up. He took my hand and smiled. I gasped a second time when I saw that he had a large cut across his cheek.

"Miles, are you alright?"

"Never been better." He said casually.

"Well he would be if the idiot wasn't so worried about you." Ross chuckled. I ignored his and gently touched just under the wound.

"But what about this?" He shook his head.

"Werewolf, remember? It should already be healing. Give it a minute and I'll be perfect again." He chuckled. But then his face grew serious and he turned to Diego.

"We should hurry." He said and they moved away from me and Miles. Miles frowned, looking nto the distance.

"So, Miles, what am I doing? Do you want me to leave?" I said. Even I could hear the disappointment in my voice. Miles looked up at me and there was a small hint of a smile on the corner of his mouth.

"Try to keep up?" He said and he back away too. I knew I wouldn't have been able to keep up seeing as they were giant wolves with long legs.

They stood there, all their eyes closing slowly. The brother and sister held hands. Everyone started shaking uncontrollably which was really starting to frighten me. For some reason, I moved behind the huge tree and curled my arms around it, my head peering to watch them around it.

Diego fell to the floor in a crouch and jumped. He landed in his wolf form – he was a beautiful ash coloured wolf. The brother and sister were next, both brown but Kodak was a much darker shade, almost chestnut. All three of them ran off deeper into the woods and then Ross scrambled after them; he was a ghostly dark grey that darted past the trees. All three left piles of clothes that looked similar to rags now.

Miles was the only one left. He opened his eyes. They were pitch black. A howl erupted from his lips as he burst into his wolf form. He was a dark black and – of course – with a hint of blue when the light hit. He was huge, bigger than the rest of the wolves. His fur was thick and his eyes weren't the same human ones, they were black, just how they were before he shifted.

He barked at me. It was then that I realised I was quite shaky.

"I'm fine." I insisted.

He whined and walked up to me slowly, as he did so he picked up a pair of slightly torn jeans and held them in his mouth. He turned to face the woods. He looked back at me. I realised he wanted me to ride him.

"Are...are you sure?" I asked as I climbed onto his back. Without hesitation, he sped through the trees, chasing the others. If Maggie was in trouble then we'd be there soon enough.


	23. He Hung Up?

Miles's fur was rough and warm, but not uncomfortable to hold on to. The distinct smell that seemed to come from all werewolves filled my nostrils as I held on tight. It was a musky smell, the smell that arose as you kicked up dry leaves.

A bark that didn't come from Miles sounded a close distance from here.

"Have they found her? Is she ok?" I asked Miles worriedly, half expecting him to answer. I jerked forward as Miles flew over a ditch, crashing to the floor as he landed, skidding into a pile of leaves, making them land on both of us.

The other wolves were crowded in a semi-circle. Miles stood on all fours. Instantly, I scrambled off of him and ran towards the others. A light brown wolf – Rachel – growled as I ran past, shoving through their group.

A wolf, identical to Miles – only much smaller, more fragile looking – lay spread out on the floor. She was conscious and her dark eyes watched me. She whined sharply. As I looked closer, I saw her hair was much softer than Miles's, apart from a patch on the side of her stomach. It was tangled with dirt covering it. The light made the thick liquid clear.

"Oh, Maggie..." I murmured.

She whined again, and then flinched. She was in pain.

A harsh voice, one than was obviously having trouble taking command, spoke through the wolves whimpers in a rough human voice. "She's been shot. We have to take her back to her house." His face turned towards the others werewolves. "Ross, Diego, go warn Maggie's mother. She knows how to treat wounds like this." Then his eyes turned into slits. "The rest of you find the one who did this and deal with him."

"No! No, Miles you can't do that!" I said but the other wolves sped off, barking and growling.

Suddenly, the sharp whining turned into soft whimpering. I looked down to see Maggie, human, clutching as her bare stomach. She shivered in the cold – she hadn't saved any of her clothes like Miles who wore his partly torn jeans.

Quickly, I pulled off my hoody – mentally thanking Molly's idea to wear extra clothing – and covered Maggie. The shaking seemed to settle slightly. Her eyes were shut tightly and she kept mumbling about how much it hurt. This was killing me inside.

"Alex, who ever did this deserves it."

"But maybe they didn't know she was a wolf. Or a werewolf for that matter! Perhaps the hunter just got a glimpse and thought that they were shopping at a dear or something. Just – just call the others off!" I begged panicked.

Miles bent down and scooped Maggie up in his arms. He started running back the way we came. I tiredly chased after him and Maggie.

"Please Miles?" I said out of breath. He shook his head abruptly.

"No Alex, now go home, ok? We need to get her back to her house." He said harshly.

"Just listen to me for a second-"

"I said go home, Alex!" Miles shouted and pulled ahead quickly. I stood there, stunned that he was being so horrible. I knew it was a tough time and that his friend had gotten badly hurt, but we were talking about killing someone, here – by wolves! It's not like it would be quick and pain free either.

After a minute of simply standing still in shock, I only just realised that it was getting dark. Really dark. I started stumbling through the woods, all alone and feeling pretty guilty. I got my foot caught on a tree stump and started to feel myself falling. I moved my hands in front of my face and grimaced as I felt twigs cut into my hands.

In the little light that was left, I examined my hands. They weren't as bad as I pictured – just very swollen, with a few cuts here and there. Plus the burning pain. I got up and brushed most of the dirt off of me and started heading towards the park.

I got outside of the park and looked left and right. Right was in the direction of the school so I headed left. Unconscious of it, I watched my boots scrape the floor with every step. There were dots of paint on the pavement, and as I looked slightly closer, I noticed it was Maggie's blood. Miles must have taken her this way.

I tried forgetting about it and then, because it got colder, I started jogging in the direction of Jake's house. I realised that he might have gotten a bit worried as it was pretty late by now. But hopefully Molly had covered for me.

When I arrived at the house, I noticed the porch light had been left on. The night was late and chilling – I could not wait to get inside. I threw off my shoes and yelled, "I'm home, guys." I moved my arm to my shoulder and then realised I left my bag outside of the park.

"Damn." I muttered. Then I walked into the living room and saw Molly pacing up and down, practically wearing out the carpet.

"Hey, what's up?" I said.

She abruptly turned to me and walked straight forward, grabbing my shoulders and shaking them mechanically.

"What the hell took you so long? I have been phoning you all night! Do you not know how to check your phone? Or switch it on for that matter?" She shouted. "You've been out for hours. Where were you?"

"There was an accident. But why does that matter? Jake knows I have going out?"

"Yes, but on his way back from school he saw your bag in the bushes and totally freaked out!" She said, making hand gestures everywhere. "He tried calling you and you wouldn't pick up. He came back here and I told him my side of the story, but that just gave him worse ideas. He thinks you've been kidnapped, or worse!"

"Oh, crap." I said. I was in trouble now.

"Alexandra, he's really shaken up. He was breaking down and everything. All night he's been searching for you, picking up your scent and then losing it again. I swear, if I hadn't been so calm about it, he would have phoned the police before the first hour!"

"Call him." I asked Molly. "Tell him I'm ok."

She pulled out her mobile from her pocket and scowled at me.

"Next time you decide to be reckless, I'm saying no." She said before her brother picked up. "Hello? Jake, calm down, she's here. Hello? Jake, are you there?"

"He hung up?" I said surprised. She nodded.

"I guess he really can't wait to find you." She said. "Now you owe me – go make us some hot chocolate, slave."

I humbly agreed. I was being let off easily by the sister, now I just had the brother to deal with. I stumbled tiredly into the kitchen and boiled the kettle. I was just about to ask Molly if she wanted anything to eat, but halted as soon as I heard the front door slam against the wall. Less than a second later, Jake was in the kitchen door. His cheeks were shiny. Either it had been raining for the past three minutes and only hit under his eyes, or he'd been crying. Bingo, number two's a winner.

"Jake..." I didn't know what to say. But he did.

"Where the fuck have you been, Alex?" He yelled as he stormed towards me. I opened my mouth but nothing came out – I had no explanation, or none that he would approve as a valid excuse. "Well?"

"Jake, I'm sorry. I started walking back from the shop and simply...wondered a little too far." I said.

"If that's true, then why would you leave your schoolbag on the street?" He said. I saw the hurt and anger in his eyes, although his face tried to stay calm and controlled.

"Extra wait. It was hurting my hands. And I forgot about it when I came out of the woods." I said, realising I should have left the last bit out.

"You went into the woods?" He yelled.

He put his hands behind his head and turned around, not showing me his face. I saw Molly behind him, leaning against the doorway, propped up on e shoulder. I mouthed the words _help me!_ To her, and aloud she shouted back, "Al, just tell him the truth."

Jake spun round and faced me, anger in his eyes even brighter than before. I muttered a thank you to his sister and then turned to Jake.

"Fine. I went with O'Connell to see the wolves shift."

"Miles O'Connell?"Jake said in outrage. I nodded. "Jesus, Alex, do you want to get yourself killed? Or was it another idiotic moment of yours?"

"I was in no danger, Jake. But Maggie was – she was shot."

"And what if that was you?"

"I'm not a werewolf. Why would I have gotten shot?" I said.

"Hmm, how about by the same psycho that brought you there in the first place?"

"I told you, I was safe. Miles wouldn't have hurt me anyway. Why is it in your head that Miles means me harm?"

He lifted his hands from his head and shook them in the air. "Because he hurts _everyone_ Alex! Everyone he knows ends up dead, shot like Maggie or torn emotionally torn apart like that girl Rachel." He moved closer to me and held my shoulders tightly. "What would Ryan want?"

I felt a lump build in my throat.

"He'd want me to be happy, which is more than I can say for you." I yelled. "How dare you! You know how much I miss Ryan. And you use him to prove your side of an argument?" I choked up; my tears fell heavily from my eyes. I ran past Jake, not caring as I shoved my shoulder into his. I didn't want to cry over this, over Jake, over Ryan. I ran up to our room, ignoring as Jake bellowed my name. I slammed the door shut and locked it.

"Alexandra?" Jake shouted, banging on the locked door. "Alex, open the door!"

"No. Go away!" I yelled.

"We need to talk about this. Come out of there."

"Go away or I'll leave the house."

"Don't be stupid."

"I'm serious." I said. I felt hysterical. I missed Ryan so much. I loved Jake so much and Miles was angry with me, just when I thought we were starting to become friends. "I'll... I'll go to dads if that's what it takes. So just leave me alone. Please."

I heard Jake sigh heavily. He loudly went down the stairs. I could hear Molly and Jake talking – or yelling – and I listened closely.

"And where do you think you're going?" Molly asked.

"Out."

"So you're just going to leave Alex behind like this?"

Jake paused for a moment, probably gathering up his stuff. "I need time to think."

"You cannot do this, Jake. She's sorry. What do you want her to do? Beg? She's your wife, Jake! You gotta let her off the leash a little more." She screamed but the front door slammed and I sobbed even more.


	24. You'll Freeze

When Jake left the house Molly had come up to check on me a dozen times, but I never let her in once. The only time I opened the door was when she left my hot chocolate outside. And that was only for a few seconds. I didn't want to talk to anyone. Everything was a mess. Jake didn't trust me, Miles was angry with me, I was worried about Maggie and my best friend was gone.

Eventually I crept into bed. I kept the door locked, just in case Jake came back tonight. I was glad he chose to leave – I didn't want to see my father any time soon. And Jake didn't want me to see him, end of. Hopefully he would cool off and we would talk about it all later. But right now I was still pissed off about him mentioning Ryan. For the past two weeks no one apart from Miles spoke of him. Apart from the occasional _'please talk to me, Alex'_ or _'you need to forget about him, Alex'_, no one spoke anything remotely related to Ryan. I could not stand talking about him; it had broken my heart when he left. And when the one person I loved more than anything in the world reminded me of that, it almost killed me for a second time.

It was a cold night. I heard Molly shout out from her bedroom to say goodnight, but I did not return the favour. I curled up in the king size bed. I hadn't taken a shower before bed and my usual messy hair was tied into knots as evidence.

A sudden shiver erupted through my body, making me more awake than before. I swear I had closed the window, but apparently not as it was colder than before.

"Did I wake you?" A voice murmured close to me.

Without trying to hurt Jake's feelings, I muttered, "Yes."

I felt him slide into bed next to me. His chest was bare and cold from the wind. We stayed silent for so long I thought I'd fall asleep just from waiting.

"Alex, aren't you even going to talk to me?"

I turned over to see him. "What would you like me to say?"

"That you forgive me."

"I forgive you." I said half heartedly. I closed my eyes and hoped that was it.

"Now we both know you don't mean that." I was wrong. "Alex, I am sorry about mentioning Ryan. I know how much you hate it, and it was wrong of me to involve him."

I opened my eyes. "Jake, it _will _take time for me to forgive you about that. But before..."

"Just listen Alex," Jake said, his voice stiff. "Did you not think for one second that I could have been worried about you? Was it not possible for you to wonder if I was going stark crazy while you were gone?"

"Jake, I..."

"And when you tell me that the reason you were missing was because you wanted to risk your life by hanging around with a bunch of werewolves that you do not even know...How could I have reacted differently?" He said.

"I wasn't risking my life. Jake...Miles is kind of my friend now. You didn't need to be so worried."

"When my wife is gone, with her bag in the bushes, some place where I can't find her scent and isn't picking up her phone, I think I'm going to be a little more than worried."

"I was fine, Jake."

"I didn't know that though." Jake started choking up. I started feeling horrible now. "I looked everywhere for you. I... I didn't even know if you were alive."

"Let's get this straight: I was fine, I am sorry that I scared you" and I stopped him before he said anything, "and that I'm sorry for locking you out your bedroom."

"_Our_ bedroom." Jake corrected. "I hate upsetting you. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too." I said, stroking his cheek. In the moonlight, I saw that he was frowning.

"Your palms are warm." He inspected. He turned them upside down and raised an eyebrow when he saw my sore palms, red and scratched.

"I only tripped." I whispered.

After a second, he pulled my hand up to his lips. He kissed my palm and then did the same to the other. He didn't hurt me by doing this – his lips were cold.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?"

I raised my eyebrows at him.

"I have magic lips." He grinned.

I snuggled into his chest. He wrapped his arms around me, spreading his hands across my back. He held me tight against his bare chest. He felt me shiver and pulled away slightly.

"No, no. Don't, not after what happened. I need to stay close to you."

At that point he held me closer. Happy about that bit, I guessed.

"Love, you'll freeze!"

"Don't care, I love you, I miss you."

"I'm right here. You don't need to miss me." He chuckled. "I will _always_ be here."

"No matter what?"

"No matter what." He insisted. He stroked my hair tenderly. I pressed my burning palms onto his hard stomach, cooling them. He chuckled again. I kissed the base of his throat.

"Do you know if Maggie is alright then?"

"No. I hope she is, she was pretty badly hurt." I said, my thoughts returning to her quivering body, blood crawling don her stomach as she shifted back to her human body. "Oh, Miles has my hoody – remind me to get it off him tomorrow?"

"Miles does, or Maggie does?"

"Well...yeah, Maggie most likely has it." I said. "Why?"

He shifted for a minute, ignoring my question and then sat upright, pulling me up with him. I groaned as even more wind hit my body and my warm escape was taken away.

"Are you really worried about her?"

"Of course I am. We're friends." I insisted. I hated whoever did this to Maggie, loathed him deeply. But that didn't mean this condemn him to death. I as also worried about that part.

"Would you like to go see her?" Jake said, covering my cheek with his huge hands. "She lives just down the road, opposite the twins' house.

I grabbed my chance before he could change his mind. "Yes! It will definitely put my mind at rest if I see her for myself."

"Ok. Go get dressed and I'll meet you downstairs in five minutes." He said, dragging himself out of bed.

"No need." I said. I quickly pulled off my pyjama top and yanked on a black vest. I kept on my pyjama shorts and yanked on my leather boots. I stood there, ready to go.

"Sweetheart, don't you think you'll be a bit cold?"

I rolled my eyes and pulled out my yellow hoody – I had _a lot_ of hoodys in there – and zipped it up, pulling the hood over my tangled hair. I sighed and waited for Jake's approval. His face confused me. It was as if he was trying to hold back a grin. He had a black jumper already on, showing off his hard sexy chest.

"What?"

"Nothing. You just look... incredibly sexy."

I looked down at the outfit I just chucked on. "You think?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "Can we hurry up now so we can get back, and _then_ I can rip it all off you? I doubt Maggie would like to see that at her own house. And I'm not entirely sure I'm comfortable with it either...but I could make an exception." His eyes were fixed on the hug gap on skin showing above my boots and below my tiny shorts.

"Ok...time to go." I said running and giggling down the stairs. I was sure we were waking up Molly, - and that has happened before, the even almost killed us both – but I couldn't care less as Jake chased me downstairs. As I got to the bottom step, he grabbed me around the waist and swung me around. I screamed at him playfully, and when he finally but me down, I kissed his lips softly.

"I love you, Mrs Young." He said with a sparkle in his eye.

I considered the name. "You know, I don't think it suits me. I'll have to change it back." And I started walking towards the front door. Jake grabbed my arm and pulled me back into his chest.

"I think it suits you quite perfectly." He growled, kissing me again. I wasn't even sure if he was playing at this moment, but I didn't care – the kiss melted it away. I sighed heavily and groaned. "Time to go." He smiled.

We walked down the street. Maggie's house turned out to be a dozen doors down from our house, and opposite was the twins' house. I hadn't actually seen them for over the two weeks. The last time was before Miles turned up. I would have started worrying but we were told by the school that they were off for a long holiday with their parents. By this I was just glad that their father had chosen to spend time with them.

"What are you thinking about?" Jake murmured. He was watching me curiously.

"Just about the twins and how long they've been on holiday for." I sighed. "I don't even know when they're coming back."

"Hey, don't worry about them."

"You're right. I have to worry about Maggie right now."

"Actually, I meant don't worry, full stop. But whatever..." he laughed. He pulled me suddenly in front of a big, black door. "You knock. Werewolves do get a bit moody when woken up late at night. Especially when woken up by vampires."

I rolled my eyes and muttered, "Wimp," at him and then knocked loudly three times. All he lights in the house were on. A dark figure walked up to the door and unlocked it. A women yanked open the door. She had the same colour hair as Maggie, but it was long and frizzy. Her eyes were strained; she looked as if she'd been working all night.

"Yes?" She said quietly.

"Hello," I started. "Are you Maggie's mother?" When she nodded sleepily, I carried on. Guilt rose in my throat. "I'm Alexandra...Young," It would take time to get used to that. "I know your daughter. I was with the others when they found her." I felt Jake tense next to me but I ignored him. "Is it possible for me to see her for just a second? I was getting worried about her."

Maggie's mother seemed as if she stopped listening as soon as I started. She squinted in the moonlight. "You're Alexandra? The White Girl?"

"Well, yes. I used to be Alexandra White." I was about to ask how she knew that until she answered that question for me.

"Maggie talks about you a lot. Even in her sleep." She laughed once. "She started calling out in her sleep two weeks ago about you, calling you _The White Girl_. But when she talks of you..." She shook her head as if she said too much. "You can go upstairs - second door on the left."

"Thank you," Jake said, pulling me behind him as we made our way upstairs. I noticed that Maggie's mother went to the couch and covered herself up with a blanket. The room was surrounded with towels. Some were clean, others with drops of blood, others were covered in it. I noticed Jake's nose was all scrunched up – it must have been hard for him. I stroked his arm and I saw his tight smile relax a bit.

Second door on the left was open slightly. Jake pulled me in front of himself and I pushed it open an inch more.

A strained voice called my voice happily. "Alex!"

I showed myself and I saw Maggie in her single bed. She was all sweaty but her face seemed truthfully glad to see me. Her stomach was wrapped up tightly with no hint of blood showing. Her bed covers were thrown onto the floor. On top of them sat a familiar face.

"Howdy." Diego waved at me with a grin on his face. Next to him sat the smiling brother and sister. Ross and Rachel were not here, but Miles sat next to Maggie, holding her hand, not even noticing that I had arrived. He just watched her. But there was an eerie atmosphere coming from all four wolves – relief.

"Alexandra, you didn't need to come see me tonight." Maggie insisted.

"I had to. I was worried. The last thing I saw of you was when..." My voice trailed off as I remembered Miles carrying a limp Maggie through the woods. I remembered how he shouted at me, how useless I had been and the disappointment I saw in Miles's eyes.

"No, Alex, it wasn't like that." Maggie insisted. Her face was suddenly getting upset. "It was not like that at all. You couldn't have done anything. Please don't think like that." She read my thoughts. I was surprised that Miles hadn't got up, pointed a judging finger right at me and shout, "Useless." I watched him. He was frowning.

"I am glad you are well, Maggie." Jake said with only honest worry in his voice. "Are you in much pain?"

"None what-so-ever." She insisted. An obvious lie. I noticed every time she moved, her face scrunched up slightly and Miles twitched, ready to help or get anything she needed.

"Well, we just wanted to see if you were all ok. Will we see you in school?"

Everyone nodded apart from a grinning Maggie who shook her head wildly – she'd regret that later.

"Great. We'll leave you to relax now." Jake said politely. He held out his hand in a gesture for us to leave. "Alex?"

Reluctantly, I walked out the room, giving Maggie a parting smile. We started down the stairs, until my name was called from behind us.

"A word, Alex?" Miles said from the top of the staircase. I looked at Jake as if I needed permission. He nodded and I saw Miles frown at him. I guessed he really didn't like the idea of him practically owning me now. I honestly had no objections to that part.

Jake continued walking downstairs and I stumbled back up. Miles led me into a master bedroom and didn't fully close the door.

"So you're actually going to acknowledge that I'm here, are you?"

"What?" he said with confusion.

"You didn't hear me come in? Or smell me? Or see me?" I said slowly. "Come on, Miles, you not that crap at being a werewolf."

He watched the floor. "I'm sorry. I didn't know what to say."

"You could have said hello, for starters." I muttered.

"Hello." He said. I mentally punished myself as I let a laugh crack from my lips.

"Look, Alex." Miles said. "I saw what you were thinking. I saw from your eyes how I shouted at you, that you were slightly shaken up from the shifting and then Maggie getting hurt." He sighed and punched the wall from behind as he leaned on it. "Do you really think I meant anything by that? I was scared. Ok? I was frightened for Maggie and I was...worried...about you going home on your own." He muttered and then looked up at me. "Like it or not, I care for you, Al. But I was frustrated, and angry. And I didn't want to hear anyone telling me that killing the person who did this was wrong. Because I knew it was wrong. But I wasn't going to let him go."

"Is he..." I gulped. "Is he dead?"

Miles didn't answer.

"He is." I answered myself.

"Sorry." He muttered. "Please don't think you were useless back there. Maggie was right, there wasn't anything you could do."

"Exactly." I pushed. "I was a liability. Maybe if I wasn't there you could have gotten to her sooner."

"And what difference would that have made?" he asked angrily. "Nothing, so stop putting this all on yourself, please? I'm sorry. I really am, I never want to see myself through your eyes when I'm shouting at you. I...I hate it."

I rubbed his arm and he flinched. "It's alright." I mumbled and he relaxed. He looked up and held my gaze.

"See you in school?"

I nodded and shrugged past him and went downstairs. I said goodbye to Maggie's mother and we made our way home.

"Let's go home, love." Jake murmured. "I want those boots off of you as soon as possible."

I laughed heart heartedly but my mind was still focused on Miles.


	25. Every Time Your Heart Breaks

"So, I'm guessing the other half isn't going to let you come watch us hunt any time soon."

"So you don't only read minds, you psychic too!" I joked. Miles laughed and gave a '_Well, you know?' _look.

"What can I say – I'm god." He said proudly.

"Anyway, I don't want to put Jake through that again. He was really upset yesterday. And I'm starting to think he's going to put a dog tag and collar around my neck sooner or later." I said.

"Mmm," Miles smirked. "Kinky."

I punched his arm and he let his head fall onto the desk. "Man down! Man down!"

I burst into laughter. We both abruptly returned to our work when the substitute German teacher turned to watch us and glared with his oversized, bushy grey eyebrows. Miles snorted.

"So how's Maggie?"

"She's doing great." Miles insisted. "Really, she is doing much better than any of us thought." He frowned. "I was scared I was going to loose her."

"She means a lot to you, huh?" I asked. I liked this side of Miles.

"Yep. We're a pair, you know? She's like my sister. Everybody thinks we could be more than that, but honestly, it's not like that. It's as if...as if everything will slow down without her. Like the world would be a much darker place for me without her in it."

I started smiling inside.

"You probably think I'm talking a load of crap. I guess you wouldn't-"

"No, I do. I do." I cut in quickly. "Ryan was like my soul mate. I really hate not seeing him everyday. He means so much to me." I mumbled, not wanting to get upset about it. It seemed the only person I could talk about Ryan with was Miles. "Its like a chunk of my heart is missing."

"Exactly." Miles said, seeming astonished that we felt the same. But then his voice turned sour, as if he was confessing something. "Alex, I know what it's like for you. When I see inside your mind, when I see the pictures...something is missing. And it's as if it creates a dark cloud over the happy thoughts. It's always there!" And he sighed. "And I was scared if Maggie went, I'd feel like you do now." He looked up at me smiling. "But lately, for the past couple of days, it's as if you're getting better, as if...something is helping you with that."

"I know, Miles." I said, smiling back. "It's you. You are helping me, and I'm so grateful."

He grinned. "Anytime. It's like the easiest job in the world."

The bell rang and I gathered up my books.

"Can I sit next to you at break?" Miles asked which surprised me.

"Sure. Just come sit with us."

"Ah, but your husband-"

"If Jake has a problem then he can settle it with me."

Miles grinned at me. "Cool. See you in an hour."

I walked into English where Jake was waiting outside the door. He smiled at me and I blushed slightly.

"Hello gorgeous." He whispered, kissing my cheek for the fourth time this morning. "And how was German?"

"Ok. We had a cover teacher."

We walked in behind everyone else and made our way to our seats. "Ahh, the dreaded Mr. Hughes. I'm surprised you're alive. Maybe he was astounded by your beauty." He smiled, making me blush even more. "Did he take it easy on you?" We sat down and Jake moved in his seat to directly face me.

"Miles said he had other stuff on his mind; his wife's ill, or something." I shrugged my shoulders and pulled out my books from my bag.

"You're still sitting next to Miles?"

When I came back up, Jake's face was twisted with obvious jealousy and worry.

"Jake, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." But he failed to reassure me.

"I'm not thick, Jake. What do you have against Miles?" I pushed. He frowned.

"He's dangerous. He hasn't changed. He still hates humans, he still hates the fact that everyone is equal now."

"Jake, he _has_ changed. If not, then you don't really know the real him."

"Alexandra, I have been on this earth for quite a few years now. Miles O'Connell was one of the first people I learnt about when I was changed. Trust me on this, please?"

"I'm sorry, Jake. I can't get my head around it. I believe in what I see, and-"

"If I came up to you before everyone found out about our existence, you'd believe I was human because that is what you'd see, am I right?"

I sighed heavily. "I guess..."

"Then why is this so different? You see him how he is now, but when your back is turned we're always there, waiting for the opportunity to bite."

"You think Miles is trying to trick me into becoming friends and then he'll bite me?"

He nodded.

"Do you want to bite me?"

He looked away, thinking about it, smirking. "It depends where. No to the draining you of blood bit but yes to the biting your luscious skin."

I could have sworn my face looked something between a cherry and a strawberry at this moment.

"So...no, you don't. But years back you would have." His eyes widened but I carried on. "Babe, I'm sorry I'm bringing it up but I'm trying to explain. Listen, you've changed so much since then. Think about it. You were...horrible back then. And now, you are polite, kind, caring and loving to your wife," I grinned. "If you've changed, then who is to say that Miles O'Connell hasn't?"

He sighed, giving me a sign that I was changing his mind slowly.

"I mean what could he have done that is so bad?"

Jake's head snapped up and glared.

_Oh crap, _I thought. _I was so close to winning!_

"He was a murderer. He stole from and he tortured the humans he thought were not worthy of even looking at him. He..." He drifted off for a moment.

"What?" I encouraged.

"He turned humans that he 'courted' and left them to survive on their own. He'd change them into ravenous vampires and then just left them behind!" He said quietly, sounding disgusted. "They'd end up alone, thirsty until the point where it drove them insane. Many humans would have been attacked by these vampires."

"Miles even tried to change innocents into what he was, as a sign of punishment to all humans. He'd let his vampire venom enter the human's body and then he used his blood to try and turn them into both werewolf and vampire. He never succeeded. The pain would have been too much for them that everything would just shut down, but not before hours of the body trying to cooperate. It's probably the worst way to die – in so much pain that you'd want to rip your own flesh off."

"But if it was too much for the bodies then how did Miles survive?" I said, squirming in my seat.

"I don't know. My guess was that he was a strong human. Or that he'd been through enough pain and hurt that he could survive it." Jake shrugged. "And do you want to know the worst part? I looked up to him. Everyone did. That was where I got the idea for Hannah Jones. I wanted to change her into a vampire and then leave her, just like the famous Miles O'Connell. I wanted to be him, Alex. I wanted to be just like him."

"Jake...you didn't know any better. And like I said, you have both changed. You are both better people now." I insisted, trying to help him.

He sighed heavily and kissed me. "Ok. I trust your judgment. If you keep your faith in me then who am I to say that you shouldn't with others?"

"Thank you." I whispered.

Finally, minutes and after minutes of coursework, reading and practice questions, the bell rang for break. I had forgotten to mention to Jake about the added person on our tale, but it wasn't the right time to say.

We arrived at the canteen and I grinned. Already prepared, Miles was sitting at our lunch able, waiting. Obviously Jake hadn't noticed Miles yet.

"I'm going to get us some drinks. Orange juice, as usual?" He asked. I nodded.

I was about to walk straight over to him when my phone rang. The only people that ever rang were Jake, Molly, Tina or Lucy. I picked it up and frowned.

"Unknown caller..." I mumbled. I caught Miles's gaze and I held up m finger for a '_hold on a second' _sign. I pressed the green button and held it up to my ear.

"Hello, Alexandra Young here." I said politely in case it was some who wanted to know straight off who was answering.

"Jeez, I am _never_ going to get used to that name." A familiar voice answered from the other line. I almost dropped the phone from my ear._ Almost._

"Ryan? Ryan, is that you?" My voice was shaky.

"The one and only." He answered. I could hear the grin in his voice. "How you doing, Al?"

I ignored his question. "Why are you ringing me?"

"Oh," His happy voice was stopped short. "If you want me to go, I'll-"

"God, no, don't you dare hang up!" I shouted. I knew everyone in the canteen was staring at me but I didn't care. I fell silent for a second. The only hint that Ryan knew I was still on the line was my shaky breathing. I took deep breaths. I _did not_ want to waste my time talking to him by breaking down. "What I meant was, why now?"

"Well, you see I have gotten to the point where I can't stand to not hear your voice." He said. Now I was his turn to have his voice go all shaky and heavy. "Man, it is _so_ good to hear your voice, Al. I swear I have been going crazy missing you."

"Then come back." My voice threatened to break.

"Now, you know I can't do that, babe. I'm already being selfish here by talking to you. But I thought as long as I'm not physically hurting you, three minutes of chatting wont stay on my conscious long."

"Three minutes?!" I yelled through the phone.

"Ok, maybe a little longer but it's gonna cost me quite a bit." He laughed. "I'll send you half the bill after I'm done."

I sighed, half happy, half upset. I felt that chunk that disappeared from my heart ache for Ryan, even more when he laughed. "It's good to hear your voice too." I mumbled down the line.

"Urghh, don't say that, Al!" He groaned. "You're making it so hard for me to do this."

"Sorry." I mumbled.

"Don't be. I needed this to make me keep going. Otherwise I'd be back at that stupid school in half a minute."

"Please do!" I begged, over reacting. I knew that was gonna cost me after we hung up.

"Sorry, Alex. Not soon. When I learn to control myself, my emotions, that's when I'll come back. That's when I will hold you again, just like before."

I felt tears fall down my face. I had failed to keep them in.

"Damn it!" I muttered, laughing as well.

"You too?" Ryan sniffed. I choked out a laugh again.

"I miss you, Al." He said sadly.

"I miss you more."

"Yeah...right." He said slightly edgy.

"I do!"

"Alexandra, you'll be alright. You have Jake, you have the others and I know you're safe from your dad now."

"It still won't be the same without you. Please...just come back!" I begged, with my sore hands I wiped my tears away. I barely noticed that I had walked over to the wall. I leaned against it with all my weight.

"No can do, amigo." He chuckled. He was trying to be strong, like always. "Love you." He sighed.

"Please, no, Ryan not yet." I pleaded. I could hear the restraint in his voice. He didn't want to hang up as much as I did.

"Let's make a deal." He sniffed. "Call me every time your heart breaks. And I'll do my best to mend it. Deal?"

"So everyday then." I stated. I was being completely serious, but Ryan let out a strangled laugh.

"That's my girl. Be happy, for me." He said. "Love you." He whispered, and before I could open my mouth, he hung up. I burst into tears as I felt a pair of strong arms holding me together.


	26. RolyPoly

"Alex. Shh, calm down." Miles said calmly as I sobbed. My heart ached even more than before now that I had heard his voice. Miles had heard everything through my head. He knew how much I was hurting. He pulled me next to him, and without hesitation, I had clung onto him.

"I miss him. God, I miss him so much. Why won't he come back?" I moaned, calming m cries down slightly, replacing them with questions.

"Sometimes we sacrifice what we love for the people we love. Ryan doesn't want to hurt you." His voice stiffened slightly. "And like he said, he will come back someday."

"When?"

"When he's ready."

"Alex!" I heard my voice being called from the other side of the canteen. "What the hell did you do to her?" Jake's voice was suddenly right up to my ear.

"Me?!" Miles said, standing up straight. "Ryan called. She's upset, ok?"

Jake suddenly reached for me and I was more than willing. He picked me up and I pressed my face into his chest, wrapping my legs around his waist.

"Oh, sweetheart. I'm so sorry. Shh, now." He murmured in my ear. I sniffled the last of my sniffs but stayed crushed in Jake's comforting arms. "Do you want to go home?"

"No, I want to stay here." I said. "Oh...I promised I'd sit next to Miles at break. How long do we have left?"

"Don't worry about that now, love." Jake insisted. I heard someone behind him growl – Miles. "If you really are Alex's friend then you wouldn't mind." Jake growled back.

"Please, don't fight." I whispered tiredly.

"Don't worry...I'm going to check on the pack." Miles muttered. "See you later, Alex."

I heard Miles's footsteps disappear. I saw my other friends return from their lessons. I prepared for my explanation of red-rimmed eyes.

After school ad finished, I had told Jake about the phone call. He tried to sooth me, to tell me that it would all be ok. But he dint know how this felt. Only Miles knew. One, because he was so close to feeling it for himself and two, because he can feel it and see it through me.

We were strolling down the busy street – a lot of cars drove past at this time to pick up their kids – when Jake had an idea.

"How about we go have dinner out tonight? We haven't been out in so long, and Aroma is probably missing us by now." Jake said. I smiled.

"Sure. Why don't we bring Molly, to make up for last night's loud return?" I said.

"That's a good idea." Jake grinned, remembering last night. We looked ahead and saw Molly further ahead on the same street, walking to the house with Leona, Bray and Nate. "I'll go talk to her. Start walking and I'll be with you in a couple of minutes." He encouraged. He kissed me swiftly and started jogging in a human pace towards the others.

I made a quick turn on the pavement towards the road crossing. Aroma was across the road and in the opposite direction of our house anyway. I kept looking back to get a glimpse of Jake. He was so handsome and clever and kind – I literally had no idea how he ever fell in love with someone as normal as me. But I was bloody glad he did, otherwise I wouldn't have been alive to become his wife.

"Hey, watch out!" A voice in front of me yelled. I recognised it – it was Georgia. I tried to turn and see the face that called out to me when my head fell back. My whole body was being moved and not by my control.

A heavy weight shoved into me from the front of my legs and upwards. The force pulled me over something big and heavy. I saw a spread of green in front of my eyes as I tumbled over what ever had pushed me. I could feel my limbs twisting in places that they shouldn't, making my muscles burn as they did so. My head slammed into something hard and shattering sounds echoed around me. Through the blood drumming in my ear I could hear screams, people shouting out my name. But I couldn't stop. The force was like waves pushing me down, not letting me move with my own will. I did a harsh roly-poly over the green force, all the while being tackled downwards. It felt even worse as everything seemed to slow down; as if I was going through this where every minute was a second.

At last my body didn't feel as if I was being pushed, but as if I was falling. This seemed to go a lot faster because as soon as I was relieved of my body being crushed, I felt the hard floor come into contact with my body. My left arm was trapped beneath it and my right was flung weightlessly. My head rebounded onto the ground and I felt my nose crack easily to the side. I would have screamed for someone to help me if it wasn't for the fact that I could not see – everything was black. I could only feel and hear. And my body did not want to scream anyway. It wanted to shut down, to relax every cell that I was made from.

I suddenly felt my face being lifted away from the floor. My brain worked over time as I realised what had just happened.

_I was hit by a car,_ I screamed inside my head. It was if every bruise and brake in my body was moaning back, _duh!_

Although I could feel the soft air on my face, the cold, strong arms that held me so delicately, I could not feel the pain that my body was obviously going through. And at that moment, where I summed up all that I _could_ and _could not_ do in this moment in time, and weighed out my options – I knew I was going to die.


	27. In Between The Two!

It had been so long since I got to see my true surroundings. But my brain did not deceive me; together we had been conjuring up memories of the people I knew and loved. Jake seemed to hover in my mind everyday. So did Ryan, Molly, Maggie, even my father got a few minutes with me. I began to wonder if he had come to my funeral, or to see me in the hospital. It would be a lie to say I wasn't bothered about which one was true, but none hurt me more than the other. If this was my death I would gladly take it. Knowing me, I could have a much painful one.

I thought about the people I loved and our best moments. I thought about dad, me and my mum when I was little. After a while the image of her dying came into my head, and I tried to shove it out. I panicked. But soon it was swept away, and a new face came back – Jake. And when I saw him, I realised just how much Jake did for me. He had saved me on countless occasions; even when I had gotten run over he hadn't left me on the floor like so many would. Jake was always there for me, and for some absurd reason, I was all he wanted in return. So I knew I had to pull myself through this. I couldn't leave him, for both our sakes.

Ryan popped up on many occasions too. I was thinking about the day we first got introduced. At first he didn't seem interested in knowing me at all. But as I hung around with Lucy, Tina, Dylan and Cole, he was always there. Ryan would always stand next to me or sit next to me at any chance he could get. He became protective over me, but he was also kind. Soon our relationship started to build, stronger and stronger. We've laughed, we've cried – mostly over each other. But no one could replace Ryan.

Then my brain always led to Miles. We'd become good friends, close to the best. Although he could never replace Ryan, he still stood close. Indeed, I did love him. I would do almost anything for him. And he knew exactly what I go through, but he never mentioned what hurt me the most – my father. The only reason I let him talk about Ryan to me for was that he had the same relationship with Maggie. Altogether I hated the fact that people judged him for the past. He had changed and he had proven it. I fully trusted him with all my heart.

With the constant images in my head it felt nice to hear the real voices outside, reassuring me all was not lost. I felt my hand being held onto for most of the day. It was cool and calming. Jake's voice was near my ear, whispering, pleading with me to wake up. I felt like shouting out, telling him that I was trying to do just that! But I couldn't. Every so often I felt the blackness clear away slightly. The clouds spread enough to create a gap for me. And when I tried swimming towards it, the clouds enveloped me, trapping me in the blackness again. It was infuriating and quite claustrophobic. But I kept on trying. It happened every few hours – which could well have been minutes and seconds in real life, I had no sense of time here. But this wouldn't be happening in real life. I'd be alive or dead, not fighting to not be stuck in between the two!

I got a sense of the real time as Jake whispered once more in my ear. He told me he needed to go home tonight. But he'd be back as soon as he could. Again, he begged me to wake up, and I felt wet drops fall onto my own cheek.

I was alone.

I hated it. I hated not hearing people's voices. It was so lonely without hearing anything but my own voice, and that wasn't even out loud! It was if I couldn't see any way out without someone with me. I need to be reminded of the reasons I needed to get out of this nightmare. I would have given anything to wake up.


	28. 80mph

_**Miles's point of view**_

I waited outside until I saw him come outside. I didn't want him in the building. I knew he'd see her otherwise. He'd probably guess where she'll be but by then it would be too late.

He'd obviously been crying. His eyes were red-rimmed and he was still wiping them. He moved quickly to his car; he'd be back before the morning. As soon as he jumped in and drove off I walked quickly into the hospital. I had it all ready: Alexandra's room was on the lower floor, the car was parked right under her window and I made sure I brought plenty of blankets.

I had been planning this since the first day I met Alex. It could not go wrong now! It was only by chance that it would happen this way. But Alex getting run over gave me another reason to do it. She was not weak. She just couldn't wake up. She'd been through so much – I felt it. Her mother died, her best friend leaving her, her father beating her up to the point where she self-harmed, although I would take care of that part myself. She did not deserve it, none of it. I would make it all better for her. I was the only one who could save her.

I rushed past the office. No one had seen me, and no one would. They were all human here, and I was part vampire. I would be nothing but a draft from the doors to them. Climbing up one level on the stairs, I worked out exactly where Alex's room would be. Quickly, I ran to her door. I felt her mind, she was thinking about how she couldn't cope with this, that she felt so trapped.

_Don't worry, Alex,_ I thought. _Just wait a little longer and you'll be ok. Better than ok. I'll make it so you won't have to go through any of this ever again._

I knew it would work this time. It had to. She had been through so much, and she survived every time. Just like me. I would no longer be the only one. I read Jake's mind earlier in school. It was Saturday tomorrow so Alex would have at least the weekend to get through it. She'd been in that hospital for almost a week now. Far too long.

"Alex?" I said softly as I slid inside her door. "Oh, Alex. It'll all be ok, I'm here now." I said. I knew she could hear me as an image of me was in her head; she recognised my voice. "I'm going to make it better."

An image of me walking out of the hospital entered her mind.

"I'm not leaving, Alexandra. I'm getting you out of here."

I listened inside her mind. _No! No, I have to stay here. They're going to make me better here!_

Her words were screamed out so clearly that I saw the exact words; a first for me.

"You'll die here, Alex." I murmured. I stood close to her, starting to pull off all the wires that were attached to her. I had to be quick now. After I opened the window next to her bed, I blocked out her thoughts. I didn't want to hear any of the silent pain she would go through, or her complaints. I wondered if she knew what I was going to do. "Come on." I groaned as I lifted her body into my arms, as if she could help in any way. She was not heavy, just limp. The window was large enough for the both of us to jump out together. She couldn't see what I was about to do, so I held her tight so she'd feel safer when she felt it instead.

I held myself steady on the edge and pushed off. It wasn't long until I hit the concrete with my legs. I bent them to let the blow of the jump quiver through my whole body, instead of letting it take out both my legs. I left the car door open and I gently laid her down onto both of the back seats. The seat belts were awkward to put on her. They unwillingly twisted in the wrong direction but finally I clicked them in their socket – one round her chest and the other round the thighs.

Running to the other side, I jumped into the driver's seat before anyone noticed she was gone. I drove out of the car park and sped down the streets. Checking on Alex every minute, I made my way to my house. There was a barn right outside it – she would be safe there. Soon her friends and husband – the unworthy idiot that he is – would find her scent sooner or later and track it. But that would not matter. All that mattered was Alex.

After a four minute, 80mph drive, we arrived outside the barn. It was unusually warm today. I made sure there was a lot of straw on the floor to make her as comfortable as she could get in these conditions.

I undone her seatbelts and carried her fragile body into the empty barn. After Maggie and I had realised what it was we had caught from the ill innocent, we both eventually learnt to block and control how and when we listened to others thoughts. I did this without noticing now, but as Alex's thoughts and images was all that she had right now, they would be much stronger than normally. So I thought it necessary to do this now.

I lay her down on my lap as I sat on the straw. Her hair was sweaty as I stroked it back from her face. The nurse had told Jake that she had a couple of broken ribs, a broken left arm, and a load of bruises and cuts here and there. He was told that she was lucky to just get away with _these _wounds.

"I'm sorry, Alex, but...this _is_ going to hurt." I warned her. "But it will heal you and wake you up. I can't leave you trapped in your own mind like this. I won't risk your death for your mortality." I leaned in close to her neck. "Just think, you'll be with all the people you love forever. With Jake and Ryan, and me. We'll be best friends forever! I won't have to loose you, you won't loose Ryan because it will mean he'll come back, and this is what you and Jake both want! No one will ever hurt you after this." I smiled. "And I won't be the only _freak._ We'll show them how strong you are. You'll make it through this."

A thought so strong it yelled through my defences. _No, please! Don't make me both. Don't make me become both, please! I won't be able to take it._

"But you'll get through it, Alex. It's just pain and then you have the rest of eternity. And ...I know you'll do this for me. You are strong enough. I can't be the only one, Alex. I can't be the only one of my kind. Not anymore." I closed up to her ear and whispered. "I'm doing this for both of us, Alexandra. I'm doing it because I love you."

And I bit her neck. I felt the venom extract from me and mix into her bloodstream. The body that I held started jerking around in my arms. Her chest thrashed and her limbs shifted from the aftershock.

"Come on, Alexandra. You can do this!" I said loudly. Her face looked just as gentle as it had in the hospital. I had the image in my own mind of her hands clamped around my neck – I wasn't sure if she'd thank me after. But it was for her own good.

Quickly, I tore at my own arm with my own teeth. Blood poured onto the straw and onto my blue jeans. My werewolf blood would mix with hers and it would mix the two together, changing her into both vampire and werewolf.

I took her arm in mine and bit into it. Her arm jerked, although I held back the venom. More venom in her system and little wolf blood could easily just make her a vampire – that's not what I wanted.

I held my arm over the bite and let my blood drip directly into the cut. I let quite a lot in, but didn't over take either amount with the other. Gently, I rolled her off of me. I watched her as she thrashed around, blood stained straw attaching itself to her hair. But still she hadn't woken up though soon she would because already her body would be healing itself. The cut I had made were now just scars. Soon her bones would heal and she'd wake up.

I walked from her and jumped into a huge pile of straw, pretty happy with myself. I would wait for her to wake up.


	29. Drawing Thin

My whole body was burning. My flesh wouldn't let the heat out. I couldn't move; it was if I was stapled to the floor. As well as the terrifying feeling of being put on fire, something scratched my skin as I felt my body jerk here and there, making me feel sick too.

I tried calling out but I did not hear my own voice. I couldn't hear anyone's voice.

I knew my body was healing – I could feel it! My bones moved and ached. The temperature increased around my ribs and in my arms, mending each crack and moving each displaced bone. It was torture.

In this moment I felt so sorry for every human that was put through this. A small part of me wondered if this was similar to what the vampires had done to them. Or maybe all this was what the werewolves felt when them their selves were changed. But deep inside I knew I was going through both. The pain was much too great. I could still feel the venom and blood work its magic. It wasn't as if the agony made me less aware, no. It was quite the opposite. My senses were much clearer now to what was happening. The venom had increased in speed, totally mixed in with my blood – it was everywhere. I could not feel Miles's blood anymore. But it was obviously still in me.

With every jolt of my body, the sheer agony hit me, right in the middle of my chest. It rammed my heart; it was beating even faster for a minute or so, and then slowed back down again. It was an endless cycle of continuous burning, jolt, panicked heart and then back round again. I concentrated on my heart – was I having a heart attack? But then realised it wasn't my body moving that made my heart beat so fast. It was the venom. Maybe it was making my heart beat so fast that it would eventually shut down and then let the venom take over, eventually turning me into half vampire, half werewolf. Or maybe I would die! I hadn't had time to think about what would be better.

It felt like I was going through this month by month. Perhaps it would not stop... I _really_ did not want to imagine that. Maybe it had only been minutes, maybe hours or days. I had no sense of time, but I couldn't imagine it being just minutes.

A rough scream suddenly screamed out; my ears felt like they could have bled fro the noise. Only then did I realise it was my own. I had finally broken through the blackness! I tried searching with my eyes but they would not open. This was when I knew I could not survive this. It was all too much. My heart was beating so fast it trapped my breathing. Either I would die from suffocation or a heart attack or, as I knew I wasn't, I couldn't be strong enough and my body would give up...soon.

Then everything wasn't black. I could see a thin colour overlapping the clouds. It was slightly pink, but still dark. I remembered this colour. It was the colour of my closed eyelids.

With a flash, I opened then. Colours flooded my vision, making me instantly close hen again. Slowly, I tried again. I squinted as everything came in a rush. But it was dark – night time. I was surrounded by spiky yellow floor. I was in a barn of some sort. I noticed a dark figure watching me from a giant pile.

I was lying on my front. I moved my dry throat and let my neck stretch up to see Miles, watching me with curious eyes.

"Finished yet?" He said casually.

I wanted to kill him for doing this to me. But all I could do was scream and snarl because of the pain.

When I tried to speak, my voice choked. I needed a drink. But I wasn't water, it was something much thicker. M body craved it! I pushed that craving into the back of my mind and closed that door. I was not strong enough to claim it anyway, so there was no point in torturing my new body. A body that I despised. I loathed what I hadn't finished becoming.

The burning had yet to stop, but it crept even closer to my heart. It engulfed my thoughts and all I wanted to do was to tear at myself, to get the fire out. I tried to beg, to plead with Miles to kill me before it finally killed me itself. I knew I could not take any more of it.

"Miles...P-please..." I choked slowly. Every time I took a breath it was rough and enclosed, but it felt even worse. "I can't...do... anymore. Please..."

"Shh, Alex. Don't try to talk." Miles said, getting up and gliding quickly over to me.

"Kill...me..." I begged. His eyes looked saddened but nothing else did. When he shook his head, I begged again. And again, over and over. Hoping he would change his mind. Praying that he would pity me. He didn't walk away from me. Instead he sat beside me. I moved my hand onto his arm, feeling his own cold skin against my even colder skin. I tried digging in my nails – a pathetic way of convincing him to stop. I saw that I drew blood, but his face was still on mine, barely noticing my attempt.

Exhausted, I fell limp. _This is it,_ I thought gladly. _This is the end. It will stop now._

Gasping for breath, I tried to make this as an easy way out for me as it could be. I relaxed my body and to my surprise, it lay still. No jolts, no jerking about or anything! My heart had slowed way down. I could not breathe. I held on to the straw in my weak hands as tight as I could. I didn't ant to hold on to Miles. He had murmured me. With my final thoughts I thought of Jake and my friends. I wanted him close by. I wanted to see Jake and Ryan for the last time. If they were here, they would do what I asked, no, what I begged for. Although now someone was near me, I felt relaxed and at rest – even if it was Miles.

My heart stopped. I actually _felt_ it stop. I felt the air in my body drawing thin. My eyes drooped shut. My mind settled. Everything turned into one blur; all the faces became one and then nothing. There was nothing but that hungry craving left in my head, and the idea of ripping Miles's head off.

And then, suddenly, that was gone too...


	30. White Body

_**Miles's point of view**_

She lay there. She wasn't breathing. I watched her. I looked into her thoughts but there was nothing. It was all closed off.

"Alex...?" I whispered in shock.

I waited a minute for her answer. Still there was nothing, not even a whisper, not even a breath. She was strong enough. I didn't understand. She could have handled all that pain, after everything she'd been through. This wasn't right. She should be ok by now; she should be awake and thirsty. It had been long enough. I heard her heart stop. She should be like me now.

"Wake up!" I yelled suddenly, unable to control my own voice. I shook her weightless body. She wouldn't move by her own will. I had killed her.

"NO! No!" I bellowed at her. "This wasn't how it was supposed to be!" I took her shoulders and shifted her body closer to me. I shook her again. Her head drooped onto her neck and her arms flapped as I moved her. "You gotta wake up. Come on, Alex!"

Apart from my hysterical voice, everything else was silent. I felt hot tears fall from my tired eyes and onto her freezing skin.

"I thought you could do this." I muttered. "Why didn't you do it?"

I remembered her begging me for her death. I was positive that she would get through it, remembering my own pain going through it. I remembered the torturous agony. I remembered the silence. And straight on from that was my first kill. Alex was so close. Why couldn't she have held on for just that little longer?

I pulled myself away from her cold corpse. Guilt filled me. I had _killed_ her! She could have stayed human and live a happy life. I could have been her friend for longer than this. Why was I so selfish? It wasn't just me, though. She was also selfish. She didn't want to change for anyone.

Images of us before this filled my face. I was making her happy, she told me. Her smile stretched in our classes. Her laughter filled my ears and I thought about how lucky I was back then.

I knew I would surely die for this. Her husband would know it was me. He would kill me. As soon as he'd get here, he'd go straight for it. He would make it slow, and as painful as I could get for a vampire. Maybe it was what I deserved.

"Urghh, I need a drink first." I muttered. With a final look at her fragile, white body, I stumbled out of the barn and across the road to my house. I waited inside for the cries of grief and anger from across the street.


	31. Anyone But Him

_**Jake's point of view**_

"Jake, slow down already!" Molly screamed behind me. We had been running for a while now. The very minute the hospital called to say Alex was missing, I left our house. Molly had gathered Nate too and I tried to find her scent from the hospital. Most of it had been wiped away by the wind, but another familiar scent layered hers.

I went straight to Maggie's house where she said she was well enough to come with us. Molly and Nate had caught up with Maggie and me. We were half way to Miles's house and they were coming across the field. I wouldn't stop for a second.

"Jake, just stop for a minute, buddy. We've got something to tell you." Nate said, not even gasping for breath, unlike Molly.

"We can't stop." I insisted.

"Jake is right; we have to be quicker than this." Maggie said, running just as fast as me when the other two ran behind us.

"Listen to me, Jake." Molly shouted. "Just think – Alex could be on the brink of death. And if she is, she'll want _everyone_ she loves with her." My heart twisted in agony as she shouted death at me.

"And why do you think you guys are coming?"

"But there's one person that's missing. The one person, other than you, that she loves the most." Molly yelled.

I sighed heavily. "Well he's gone." I ran quicker down the quiet street, causing everyone to speed up with me. We hadn't time for this!

"Jake, he's kept in touch with me and Nate since he left." Molly admitted. "He asked us to keep an eye on her. He didn't think that phoning her was enough to be sure she was safe. And we caught his scent back south, just now."

I growled but didn't look back. "And you think it best to tell me now?"

"Of course! Your wife is about to die. She needs the both of you."

"Don't say that!" I snarled, running even faster. The houses blurred past, the dark lightened after every hour and I couldn't stop thinking about Alex.

"Jake, we're almost there." Maggie panicked. "But we have to hurry."

"She is gonna be alright, Jake." Nate tried to reassure me. I only begged for that to be true.

Determined to see Alex, I ran faster than ever before. I thought momentarily about what Molly had said. If it was Alex's final moments – and god I hoped it wasn't – then she would want him there too. But we had to get to her first.

"Over there!" We skidded to a halt outside of a medium sized house. "That is Miles's house." Maggie stated. She followed me inside as I broke the door down.

"Miles!" I bellowed throughout the house. I stormed down the hallway to the kitchen where a drunken freak sat on the kitchen worktop. He had a bottle of wine and a few other empty bottles scattered around him. "Where is she? Where is she, tell me now!"

He had been crying. Rage overpowered me.

I took his shirt in my fists and threw him across the room.

"Jake!" Molly shouted.

"Tell me where she is!" I snarled.

He lay there against the wall, not even trying to fight back. He sighed heavily.

His voice was rough and slurred. "What's the point? She's gone."

My heart stopped, fear swirling in my chest, threatening to make me be sick.

"What do you mean she's gone?!"

"I thought she'd get through it. I thought she was strong enough." Miles spluttered, then, as if all of this wasn't his fault, he turned the blame around. "She didn't try hard enough!"

"Please don't tell me..."

"It wasn't my fault!" He wept. Enraged, I took him by the throat, lifted him up and slammed his head against the wall. I felt my voice strangle with agony. Parts of the plaster wall shattered into crumbs and fell to the floor.

"Tell me where she is!" I screamed in his face. I tried to restrain myself from tearing the flesh from his throat.

"The barn," He muttered sadly as his painless wound let blood drip down the side of his head.

As the words left his lips, my hands went numb and Miles dropped to the floor. I ran back out the door as fast as possible, leaving the two girls behind. Nate followed me out of the house. I didn't have time to brace myself for what my eyes might have to see. I just needed to see her, to see that she was fine and perfect as always.

"Alex?" I shouted pushing at the barn doors. "It's me, are you alright?"

The doors were stiff and hard to open, even for us. With one final push with the help from Nate, they caved in. My eyes searched quickly around the straw covered area. I couldn't see her.

"Jake," Nate shouted loudly, with a slight hint of panic to his voice, "she's over here!"

I ran over to the other side of the large barn. In front of Nate was Alex, lying on the floor.

If my heart could beat, it would have stopped as soon as I saw her lying there. Her beautiful face was slumped sideways. Her gentle eyelids were closed, at rest. Her lips were slightly parted. I imagined them as if she'd been gasping for breath.

Pain filled my dead heart. Could a heart break when it could no longer beat? I fell to my knees, too frightened to touch her fragile body.

"Alex..." My head felt light as her name still shook the butterflies in my chest. "No. Alex." I had no idea what to say. Air felt as if it couldn't get to my lungs. My brain was waiting on edge, ready to make me jump when Alexandra got up and yelled happily, "Gotcha!"

"Man, I am so sorry." I hardly noticed that Nate had sat down next to me and held a firm hand on my shoulder.

"She's not dead." I unsuccessfully tried to persuade him. "She _can't_ be!"

Nate sniffed heavily and a deep growl twisted in his throat. "Wolf blood – he tried to change her into both."

If the agony I felt wasn't enough, the thought of Alex screaming in the suffocating pain of being turned into both werewolf and vampire almost killed me, again. I would kill Miles so slowly he'd wish he hadn't laid eyes on my wife.

But still I couldn't believe she was dead. The thought was unbearable!

"No, no, she's not dead. She's not dead!" I dragged my numb body closer to my wife. I pulled her arms until she was on my lap. I hugged her close, cradling her against my chest. Salty drops fell onto her cold skin, making her face shimmer in the slow morning light.

After a long moment, Nate started thinking about what was best for me. "Jake, how about we get you out of here, eh?" Nate said softly. I saw his hand stroke Alex's sweaty hair. "God, I'm gonna miss her." He sniffed. He closed in and kissed her forehead. His eyebrows turned down. His face was puzzled but his eyes held a glimmer of hope.

"She's really cold."

"Of course she is cold, Nate!" I yelled hysterically.

He shook his head. I ignored his idiocy and watched Alex's peaceful expression.

"Jake, listen to me for a second." Nate pushed on. "She's colder than any human would be when they've just died."

"So she almost made it as a vampire. What am I supposed to say? Whoopee?" I growled in annoyance.

"She has no heartbeat, she's freezing and have you noticed how exceptionally beautiful she looks right now?" he said. I took his points into account. Not that Alexandra could get any more stunning, but at the moment, it did seem she had an inhuman shine to her appearance. "Isn't there any possibility that she could be asleep?"

"But we can still breathe. She is not breathing."

"But she could be different. Miles was different...until maybe now." He said. His eyes were gleaming but his expression was stern. He suddenly held his arms out towards us. He wanted to help. "Could I...?"

Hesitating for a moment, I let him take Alex. He pulled her from under her arms and propped her between his knees.

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know yet, Jake." He thought for a moment. "Please, just...don't get your hopes up, ok? I might not be right about this."

"I don't think I have the strength to get my hopes up right now, Nate. I muttered.

For a while we sat there in silence. I watched Alex. I didn't think she'd wake up, but that didn't mean I wouldn't try anything I could.

"What happened when Miles changed?" Nate asked frustrated.

I sighed heavily in irritation. "How should I know, Nate? I don't give a shit about him."

"But...you used to. You used to be his number one fan! Surely you remember some rumours of his changing?"

I couldn't even be bothered to growl at him for bringing up my past. It was as if my entire life just went out the window as soon as I saw her lifeless body.

"Jake?" a quiet voice came from behind us.

A teary eyed Maggie walked in straight behind us. Her eyes were fixed on my wife's body that drooped on the floor, leaning between Nate's legs. She crept forward and a small tear dropped from the corner of her eye.

"Maggie, listen. How did Miles get through his transformation? Tell us anything specific." Nate insisted.

Her eyes widened. I didn't understand for a moment, and then I got it. I scrambled over to her on my knees.

"You know! You were there, weren't you?"

"Yes, but..." Maggie mumbled with her eyes still fixed on Alex.

"How did Miles wake up?"

"I...Jake, I'm sorry, I can't remember." She mumbled.

"You have to." I pleaded. "Come on, please!"

"Shh..."

"What?" I asked confused.

"Just...Shh. Wait a second." She was focusing on Alexandra. Her eyes were narrowed and sharp. Her hands were balled into tiny fists. "There is something there. I can feel it."

"She's alive?!"

"I can't be too sure." Maggie murmured, still concentrating. "It's just one thought. It's hidden – right at the back of her mind. Some deceased still hold memories and thoughts – soon they just eventually fade away, but I can't be sure if this is the sae thing." Her small eyes turned into slits. "I can feel it, but it's hard to see."

I held my breath, a small smile waiting to burst out with over joy on the corner of my mouth.

"There it is." But then Maggie frowned in confusion. "It's...desperation. That could just be a left over memory from the change. But it's more than that... It's hunger, darkness...and thirst!"

"She's thirsty!" Nate yelled.

My eyes widened. She's alive!

"But if she's like Miles, or at least one of the two he tried to make her into, shouldn't she be awake by now? Any vampire can smell blood in a body." Nate said.

"But she's weak. She isn't strong enough to wake up and hunt." Maggie said. "I'm surprised she got through it in the first place with her injuries. I guess her past really was so painful."

I growled at Maggie. That day when Alex was hit by the car was almost as painful as today. I saw her as her tiny body flew over the car and collapsed onto the concrete road. I couldn't get to her in time, and I would never forgive myself for it.

"Maggie, what are you doing?"

I snapped out of my daydreaming to see that Maggie had moved next to Alex. Nate watched her with curious eyes.

Maggie had brought her own wrist up to her mouth. She cut through her skin with her teeth. "If she's thirsty, and in a deep enough place that she can only think about one thing, then she'll want human blood. And I'm the closest thing here to it."

Blood dripped from her wrist. I sat so close to Alex that my breath hit her face and back onto mine, tickling my nose. Maggie held her hand over Alex's lips. She pushed back her hand, making the cut stretch enough to let more blood out. It dripped all over her mouth. The mixed smell of blood with the hint of Alex's scent was intoxicating to me.

"Come on, sweetheart." Nate said. He opened up her mouth for her, letting the heavenly liquid run straight down her throat. I prayed that she'd wake up. I would give up my life for her to be happy. I would do anything so she would smile again, her beautiful bright smile.

Her lips moved slightly.

"Alex?!"

A low moan escaped her mouth. Maggie kept on feeding Alex her blood but with a big grin on her small face.

"Alex, love, you're alright! You're ok, baby." I sighed in sweet relief, grasping onto her cold, tiny hand. "I was so scared."

Her eyelids fluttered open. Her eyes were pitch black. She suddenly clung onto Maggie's wrist and pressed her lips over the cut. Maggie did not resist.

"Thank god she's ok." Maggie smiled at me. "But she won't want to live on my blood; she'll have to feed on a human to improve her strength."

"Alex, stop. We'll get you some blood soon, I promise." I whispered, stroking her hair gently.

She let go and fell back down once again into Nate's arms. Her face was fixed on mine.

"Jake?"

"Yes, love. It's me." I whispered, placing a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

"It hurts..."

"What?"

"My head hurts." She moaned. She lifted her cold hands to her head. She squeezed it harshly, as if she had a migraine.

I took her hands away. "Love, don't do that, it will make the headache worse." I whispered. "You're much stronger now that you used to be."

"It's not a headache. It's burning inside." She groaned, pulling her hands from mine and clutching her head with her hands again. "It's so strong, Jake, make it stop."

I turned to ask Maggie with my eyes.

"Alex, how long have you been feeling this pain?" She asked soothingly. Her eyes were kind and tinted with the relief that her friend was ok...for now.

"It hasn't stopped. Not since Miles..." She started sobbing. "God, it's getting worse, Jake, help me. Nate...?"

"I'm here, Alex. Just keep calm, ok?" Her friend assured her.

"Please, make it stop." She whined. She gripped onto my hand tightly. So tightly it actually started to hurt. She started whimpering. Her eyes were scrunched together.

"Alex, tell me exactly what's happening." Maggie murmured softly. "Where is it hurting?"

She whispered roughly, "It's burning so much, in my head, in my throat, in my heart. It's everywhere." Her eyes snapped open and started staring into space. "It's in my fingertips. I want to claw it out. I want to bite, I want to drink – it's driving me mad!" She looked back at me. "God, please help me."

"Maggie, what's happening?" I asked desperately. Could be so cruel that when I just get her back she's taken away from me again?

"I don't know." She said with a hint of frustration. "I've never seen this before. Maybe she's still going through the process."

"No." Alex was yelling now. "It's different. I'm so thirsty for it. I need something. And it's making everything burn! Every part of my body is burning!"

"You just crave blood, Alex-"

"It's not that. Please just understand!" She screamed desperately. "It has to stop!"

Alex suddenly groaned and then let out a shattering scream. Everyone held their hands over their ears. I was 100% helpless. She kept shouting out, pleading with us to make it stop. But I hadn't a clue as to what exactly was the matter.

"Get help." I ordered.

"Who?"

"Anyone, just hurry up!" I yelled at Maggie. As she left I turned back to Alex. She whimpered loudly and then suddenly when I stroked her cheek, she growled. An animal growl.

"Don't touch me."

I frowned in confusion, and hurt. "Sorry,"

She took my hand in hers and tears fell down her cheeks. They were as clear as crystal on her white skin. "I'm so sorry, Jake. I didn't mean it...I didn't mean it! I don't know what's happening to me." She sobbed uncontrollably.

"Look...I promise that everything will be ok, just hold on for a minute." I tried to say confidently.

She sobbed harder now. Her hands fell to the floor and she clawed at it. She didn't stop mumbling about how much it burned. How her mind felt as if it was clouded.

Two figures ran inside the barn.

"Anyone but _him_." Nate muttered. When I saw that it was an ecstatic looking Miles I wanted to peel his flesh off, up until I saw the look on Alex's face. It wasn't happy of any sort; her face and position was relaxed. Her shouts and screams of pain had ceased.

Miles ran towards us and fell to his hands and knees. I resisted the urge to strangle the murderous freak. No... I wouldn't call him that, not when Alex was like him too. But she was a better person than him and always would be.

"Thank god." Miles sighed heavily. "Thank god you're ok, Alex. I thought you were dead! But I knew you could do it. I knew you were strong enough."

I snarled at him and as if he didn't just almost kill the love of my life, he asked innocently, "So what's wrong with her?"

I was way too angry to speak. "Well, a fucking imbecile tried to change her into both vampire and werewolf, and now she is saying that she's being burn alive." Nate shouted. I resisted the urge to kill him,_ again_. "She's been screaming in pain ever since. I'm surprised you didn't hear her."

He ignored his tone and looked at Alex.

"Does it hurt sweetheart?" He said soothingly.

I snarled at him. "Don't call her that!" I bared my teeth at him, but I felt Alex's cold hand on my arm.

"It – no, not anymore. I feel... well, great. I feel great!" She said, but not excitedly, but in relief. She sounded exhausted – as if she found air after being trapped under water for too long. "It's gone."

"That's good," I heard Maggie say; I couldn't take my eyes off of my wife. "But why did it happen in the first place?"

"I don't know." She murmured. She placed a hand on her chest, right above her heart. She suddenly looked at me and smiled half heartedly. "Forever..."

I would have been grinning at this point. We would be together forever now, and I could not wait to spend everyday left of eternity with her. But I still couldn't get over what just happened.

"Is it ok to take you home?" I asked in a soft tone as I picked up her hand and started kissing each finger on that hand, just how she liked it.

"Sure, I guess." Then she looked from me to Miles, then from Nate to Maggie. "Where's my sister-in-law?" I frowned at Nate and Maggie who sat next to each other.

"I actually do not know." I said.

"Me neither." Nate whispered. "Is she still in the house, Maggie?"

"Umm..."

"What is it?" Alex asked, obviously annoyed of being out of the known. I knew exactly how she felt.

Maggie avoided Alex's gaze. What was she up to?

"She came to find me." A deep voice came from behind us.

We all craned our necks round to match the well known voice to the well known face.

He stood there in light blue jeans and a black shirt. His hair was even messier than what it used to be like. His eyes sparkled as they set on Alex. He stank of alcohol and a bit of sweat. A grin was spread across his face.

"Ryan!" Alex squealed with delight.

"Hey there, gorgeous. Miss me much?"


	32. Lost

He ran towards me quickly with the widest grin on my face. He fell to the floor next to me – onto his knees just like the others did – and leaned in to kiss my forehead over and over again. I felt my eyes beginning to swim. The others watched for a minute and then backed away. They went to the side of the barn and all began talking. I knew it would be about me but I didn't care.

"You're back." I whispered. He stayed close, leaning his forehead on mine. "You're really back."

"Of course I am you big dummy." He laughed, a bit teary himself.

I laughed too. "How did Molly know where you were?"

"She recognised my scent nearby." He mumbled. I was surprised at that bit; he stank, and not of himself. "I was...having a drink with my mates."

"Liar," Molly's out of breath voice said from the group. She hid behind Jake who refused to look at us. Ryan rolled his eyes. I hadn't noticed how beautiful his eyes were; how much they sparkled. I guess I took a lot of things for granted when I was human.

Ryan sighed heavily. "Fine," He muttered. "I haven't been coping with being away from you guys all that well."

"What do you mean?"

"No matter what you think, Al, it wasn't the easiest thing in the world when I left you. I missed all of you so much, especially you. So I kept myself busy drinking and staying out at all day, not as if I had a house to come back to or anything." He said. I noticed his words were ever so slightly slurred. But only so much that a vampire could tell. And I was both werewolf and vampire. I was the freak now. "I would have come to see you sometime anyway. I could never stay away from you and the others for long."

"Me and the others?"

"Well, yeah." He said with confusion. "You, Dylan, Lucy, the lovebirds" he meant Cole and Tina, "and the twins."

I frowned.

"What is it?"

"The twins haven't been back from their holiday since you were gone." I muttered.

"Seriously?" He said with surprise. "They're still on holiday? I mean, I know their father is desperate to spend time with them but this might be pushing it a bit."

"I thought maybe you had heard from them."

"Afraid not, but maybe the others have?" He sounded hopeful. I shook my head. "None of them have. I'm stating to get worried about them."

"You? Worried? Really?" He said with sarcasm. "Besides, this is off topic. What exactly has been going on since I left?"

"Nothing,"

"You still suck at lying, Alex." Ryan sighed.

"I'll tell you what's been happening." Jake said as he came over to stand next to me. I wrapped my weak arm around his ankle, which made a short laugh escape Jake's lips. But he was soon serious again. "That jackass O'Connell over there tried to kill Alex."

Ryan face became stiff.

"That's kind of a lie, Jake." I muttered.

"Is not, he could have killed you!"

"Maybe, but his intentions were the exact opposite."

"And that justifies what he did to you, does it?" He yelled angrily.

"Of course not, but it worked, didn't it? I'm alive." I said just as loudly.

"Let me get this straight." Ryan interrupted before Jake could speak. His face was on mine with a calculating expression set. "That son of a bitch tried to change you into a vampire?"

"Try both vampire and werewolf." Jake growled, staring at Miles who was watching us. Miles smiled at me innocently.

Suddenly, Ryan jumped up from his position and launched himself at the group, aiming for Miles as everyone else sidestepped out of the way, quite comically. Ryan knocked Miles into the wall.

Abruptly and avoiding Jake's restricting arm, I ran to Ryan and Miles. I hardly noticed that it was less that a second before I got to them. I would have to get used to my now inhuman pace.

I pushed the two apart. Ryan's jaws were snapping at Miles's throat, bare in mind he looked neither scared nor bothered at the terribly good attempt of his own murder.

"Stop it, now!" I screamed at them. Ryan was only getting closer and closer to ripping Miles's neck. I had to intervene. I pushed Ryan away with my right hand. I had no control over my own strength and I knew that the lack of blood I had earlier wouldn't help in this situation, but I had to stop them, no matter what. A shocked Ryan went flying into the wall at the other side of the barn. The whole barn seemed to shake at he crashed into the wall, falling to the ground in a crouch position.

"I said stop it!" I shouted at him as he stood up for another try. "Even if Miles did almost kill me, I still need him." I could feel the grin that spread across Miles's face, and I was so tempted to smack it off.

"And how did you figure that one out, Alex?" Ryan yelled from across the large barn, only just pausing to hear me out.

I looked over to Jake. He understood exactly what I was talking about; he had probably worked it out as soon as I ran to Miles's aid. His agony filled eyes bored holes into mine.

Slowly, I whispered, "Because the burning pain I felt just minutes ago stopped as soon as Miles was close."

Everybody fell silent. People's facial expressions varied between confusion, pain and sadness, but all eyes were on me.

"What pain?" Ryan growled.

Before I could speak, Jake interrupted. "Minutes before you showed up, she was in pain. And I'm guessing it's a very similar pain to the one she felt throughout the transformation, yes?"

Without looking at him, I nodded. Even thinking about it made the burning sensation noticeable. It was still there, it would always be there.

"But it stopped when Miles was near her." Jake muttered. He fell to the floor and stared off into space. I watched him, my heart breaking as I knew his was too.

"And that's a bad thing?" Ryan growled at him.

"Depends how you look at it." Slowly he looked to me, the same blank expression held on his face. My still heart seemed to stop as soon as our eyes met, which was not possible. "If it means Alex doesn't constantly feel like she's dying, then it's fantastic." He huffed out a low laugh. It wasn't happy; it was an action someone did when they couldn't quite believe what was going on – for good or bad. "But it means she will have to stay near Miles every hour, of every day, of forever." He mumbled the last part even slower, his voice so weak.

"No," I said in exasperation. I wanted to be near Jake, to run to him and say no way in hell was this going to happen. But I knew his words were true; I had known them as soon as Miles had entered the barn – I had felt him inside me, the pain drifting away in his presence. If the pain was even the slightest bit bearable, I would refuse to let it control my life, to not be in the smallest distance possible of Miles after what he did to me, to Jake. But life as a freak was not that kind. It would have me handcuffed to my 'creator' for always, until I had enough and finally decided to find a way to end the life I was trapped in now.

Everyone was quiet. I looked around, my frightened, new eyes searching everyone's faces for a helpful answer. Molly seemed as if she was trying to conduct an alternative answer; Nate glared at Miles in fury, a look which gave me the nightmare of trying to fight off my friend Nate from my new life support system. Miles was frowning at the floor, or at my feet, I wasn't sure which; Maggie watched Miles's every movement – which wasn't much at all, apart from the occasional flicker of his eye – with disappointment in her eye. I was sure she saw this coming, or something similar, but perhaps she didn't, or couldn't, believe it.

Jake just...watched. He watched_ me_. His eyes were so still, so filled with raw pain and disbelief, it hurt to watch him. His whole body was still, and weak...I'd never seen him like this before.

Finally snapping out of my clouded thoughts, I stumbled over to Jake – a movement a vampire rarely performed – and knelt down next to him. I sharply grabbed his face and pointed his vision to my eyes.

"It's me and you forever. Not Miles, it has only ever been you. Do you hear me?" I shouted at him pathetically. My voice was wobbly and breaking apart. I wasn't even sure if I _could_ cry. "It's you I want, not him I want to stay with you." I started yelling even louder at him. "You can't give up on us because of some..._freak! _You're going to stay with me, right? As long as you'll stay with me, we'll have forever, right?"

He watched me. His voice was soft as velvet, but the pain seeped through, making my dead heart break even more – if that was possible. "That's just it, Alex." He murmured. "I don't want him near you. I want to kill him. I don't want to be anywhere near him."

I watched him, my eyes shifted over his face, trying to work out some way of finding a lie in his words, in his expression.

"What are you saying?" Confusion echoed my words.

He breathed in, suddenly looking away from me, frowning. "I don't know what I'm trying to say, love. I'm lost."

"Alex, just give him some space." Molly's voice whispered behind me. I shook my head frantically. This wasn't like Jake. Where was the man that needed to fight for me? The same man that wanted us forever. This was so different, it scared me.

Shaking, I looked down at the floor. My trembling hands slowly fell from his face. After a minute of silence, Jake spoke.

"This hurts, Al." He whimpered.

"I know," I whispered to him. It didn't just hurt, it was agony!

"You need to be with Miles."

I looked up sharply. "I need to be with _you!_"

"No, you need to be with him. He's not... ok, I can't say he's not that bad, but he can keep you from hurting. That's the only thing that matters now."

"The hell it is! I _need_ you! Why can't you be with me?" And then I realised a possibility. "Do you not..._want_ to be with me, now I'm like this?"

"I will always want to be with you." He muttered. "But it isn't about what I want."

"So if it's about what I want, why won't you let me have it?" I yelled.

He began raising his voice too. "Because you want a marriage, a life with me but how is that ever supposed to happen with your creator sided next to you? I cannot see you hurting without him, but..." He sighed. "But I just couldn't bear to see you happy _with_ him."

He got up and sniffed. He looked angry, but his eyes looked hurt. "I'm a horrible man, alright? And I am _so_ sorry. You could have done better. I love you so, so much but I want _just _you! Not him there too, because it will be _him_ making you happy. It would be him everywhere, in my mind and in your heart." He groaned heavily and clutched at his head. He moved over to the wall until he leaned into it, using his elbow to support his weight.

His sobs broke through and completely tore my heart to pieces. I watched as he crumbled, and there was nothing I could do.

"Does me being your wife mean nothing to you?" I whispered. He abruptly stopped still. "Am I worth that little to you that you refuse to attempt to stay with me?"

He turned round and gazed at me. "You mean _everything_ to me. And I would always want to be by your side, but it will only end up hurting you. Should I be that selfish and tempt you with our once-upon-a-time forever?"

"I don't care if I get hurt. It will ease that loss if you were there!" I sobbed.

I wanted to scream at him, to hit at his chest until he decided to _be_ selfish. I had dreamed so much of our life together. Every sleepless night we would watch the midnight stars that shone above a beach someplace we could not remember, or race to hunt wild animals until our stomachs were full. This was what I wanted, not a life without my love but with the one man I now despised the most.

"Please, Alexandra. I cannot be the reason your life would end unhappy, when you could find a new one."

I glared at him. My lips suddenly lifted, showing my sharp, skin tearing teeth. A hiss escaped through my clenched rippers.

"Are you suggesting I try to create a life with _Miles?!?" _I snarled at him. I shifted from my knees and into a crouch position. My instincts took control of my body. If I didn't love Jake as much as did, he would have ended up being a puddle of skin, blood and bones by now.

"Is it possible?" He said with a hint of jealousy in his sorrowful voice.

"No, and you know that!" My voice came out as an animal scream, bringing me up short in surprise. I straightened up from my crouch. My eyes were wide with surprise; I was nowhere near used to this new me.

Jake's gaze shifted over to behind me, slightly to the left of me.

"You will teach her everything." It was now his turn for his voice to become animal-like. Jake was talking to Miles. But it wasn't a question, it was an order.

"Everything I know how to." He agreed with a slight nod of his head

"Good," Jake said. He returned to look at me. He frowned.

"Please..." I whispered. Would this be the last time I'd ever see him? I didn't think I could even bear that for one day.

Still looking at me, he said to the others, "Tonight she cannot hunt. Do not let her kill; it would only upset her. Teach her soon, but for now, someone go get her some blood. She's becoming even weaker."

He was right. Throughout our argument I was becoming even more tired and weak. I could feel my body wobbling slightly. He knew this would happen. Maybe he was planning this.

I hadn't realised I was falling until strong arms and Ryan's musky scent wafted through my nostrils. My lips would not cooperate to pronounce the words I so wanted to shout at Jake. I was laid down onto the uncomfortable floor. My mind started to wander away from consciousness until my lids shut down and my breathing jogged to a slow pace. Every thought was blurred together, although most were fixated onto one man: my husband, who I knew, from the quick work of my talented nose, had left me behind in this new, terrifying life.


	33. Miss White

**Ok. I have finally updated. I'm afraid to say that i am slowly drawing away from this story, even though i REALLY dont want to!!! Its my baby! LOL**

**So i wont be working on it incredibly often but i WILL NOT leav it hanging. I am dentermined to get this one finished :P**

**So please report back to me about what you think. I love my reviews and will try to reply to everyone. Ideas etc are welcome. **

**Love megan. xxx**

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"Jake, can you please come?" Molly's voice came from across the cafeteria. I could easily hear every voice in the canteen. I could hear voices right at the other end of the school if I focused hard enough. But the only voices I chose to listen to were Molly's, Jake's, Ryan's – who had now returned to school –, my old friends' and the werewolves, who stayed so close to their leader, who was also my creator.

The constant nightmare that was thirst was a continuous dull burn at the back of my throat, my gums were now as sore as hell from my new fangs and I was constantly reminded to rein in my emotions in case I shift; I had yet to be taught to change into a werewolf yet. My new life as a freak had survived the weekend and now it was my first day at school – as a vampire/werewolf – and all I could think about was Jake. I watched him whenever I could. I listened to his voice, or his conversations, all day, paying absolutely no attention to the lesson or Miles.

It was difficult, paying so much attention to my husband when I couldn't even touch him, talk to him, let alone give into the desperate desire to kiss him. But all I had was to watch him, so I settled with that, for now.

At the moment, Molly was trying to get him to go hunting with her after school. His eyes were dark and his expression was blank, if not a little calculated.

"Please, you haven't fed for so long. You'll weaken." Molly moaned at him. He stared at the table. Molly suddenly glanced at me, one side of her mouth lifted for a moment, and then she turned back to her brother. "What would Alex want you to do?"

All of a sudden Jake's face scrunched up. It was painful to look at. But his lips were pressed together in a tight line, his eyes still fixed on the table. Molly sighed heavily.

"If you aren't going to hunt, then go talk to her."

His head snapped up, his eyes accusing and angry, but yet he did not face me. My dead heart skipped a beat.

"Well, you both want to be together!" Molly said. "So what if you have to stay around Miles? You love her, and you love her enough to not stay away, and not kill Miles for her sake."

"Leave it, Molly." He growled at her.

"Please, Jake...?" She placed her hand on his. He stared at it.

"If you value your hand, _sister" _– he sneered the word sister at her, as if she had not earned the word – "then I would remove it right this minute, and shut up."

Molly did as he said and sighed heavily, getting up from her seat and walked past out table. She half smiled at me and shrugged her shoulders. She walked away, leaving Jake to sit by himself, frowning at the gleaming white table.

"Alex?" Some one interrupted my day dreaming, placing a boiling hot hand on my own dead one. Miles. I swept my hand from under his and sat there, glaring at him. He tried to ignore my horrible thoughts that I was clearly screaming in his direction and smiled innocently. "Do you want anything?"

I looked away from him as quickly as I could. "Only Jake," I muttered. He was the one to glare now. He took my chin in his hand and yanked my head back round to face him. It hurt a little, he was strong, but I was stronger. Yet I didn't use my strength; the idea of my strength, my looks etc that had changed so suddenly frightened me. If there was no Jake, I wanted nothing to do with eternal life.

"Well, he obviously doesn't want you, Al. So forget about him; you have me now." He smirked. My instincts told me to snarl at him and tear his hand off, just like what Jake threatened, and tell him to never call me Al, but it wasn't necessary, as suddenly the table was thrown from under us, losing Miles's grasp on my chin.

Naturally, I jumped away quickly, landing in a crouch, my teeth bared. A growl ripped from my teeth, but abruptly ceased as I saw Jake standing tall over Miles. Miles was on his back, trying to get up quickly, but not fast enough.

Jake yanked him up as fast as sound, even too quickly for my own eyes. Panicking screams and enthusiastic cheers surrounded us from the watching audience. By his t-shirt, Jake shoved Miles into the wall and snarled fiercely at him, right in his face. Even now, as a total freak of nature, my heart skipped and butterflies flew around in my stomach just by watching Jake.

"I will _always_ want her!" Jake roared at him. Miles didn't look scared or frightened, just very much uncomfortable in the situation, and position. "And I pray that she'll always want me. I love her more than my own life, and the only reason I stay away is so I do not end up killing _you_, because it would hurt her." Jake dropped him to the floor. "And if you ever touch her like that again, I will break both your arms and tear out your fangs."

Walking slowly away, he didn't glance at me once. Instead he picked up the upside-down table and easily threw it at Miles, who kicked it away just as easily with his feet, and then Jake left the cafeteria. Staring at the scene, I noticed Maggie skipping over and reaching down to me, grabbing my freezing hand. She walked me over to a different table, where Diego, Kodak, Romanie and Ross sat. Rachel passed us and went to help Miles with a worried expression plastered on her face.

As we sat down on the table, all five of the werewolves, even Maggie, were grinning from ear to ear at the fight scene. We heard Miles muttering that he didn't need help, but stayed where he was, on the floor.

"What are you all staring at? Fuck off!" Miles yelled at the entire room.

Maggie erupted into giggles. I stared at her in surprise. "What?" She said between giggles. "He so deserves it, especially after everything he's done to _you_." I smiled at her, trying not to remember the night.

"So, when do we get to teach you how to shift, Alex?" Diego grinned. "I bet you're a minx when you hunt."

"Now, you've brought that up, have you decided what you're going to do?" Ross said. I looked at him in confusion, making him carry on. "Well, do you want to hunt animals or humans? And what about hunting as a wolf or as a vampire?"

"Isn't hunting as a vampire just like hunting as a human?" I asked confused.

"Well, seeing as humans don't hunt for blood, I'm guessing no." Diego laughed. "But it's very different. When we watch Miles hunt in his vampire state, it's _very_ different; very animal like."

"Well, I'm not sure." I murmured, thinking about me, running so fast that everything went blurry, with the insane smell that made me thirsty. It made me hungry just thinking about it.

"You'll have time to try both ways." Maggie assured me, patting my arm slowly. The werewolves knew to be slow around me, no sudden movements, otherwise I would tear at them. "Trust me, it will all come to you naturally and then you'll know what you want to hunt and how."

I nodded.

"Move over." Muttered Miles, who suddenly appeared behind Diego and Ross. The two boys separated and let Miles slide in next to them. I let my eyes wonder away from him. I glanced at Romanie and Kodak who seemed to be having a silent conversation between them. I searched the room for Molly, my friends or my husband. They were all no where to be seen.

"Tonight, we're going to hunt." Miles said angrily, smoothing his shirt down roughly.

I felt nervously sick instantly.

"You think Alex is ready for that?" Diego mumbled, looking straight at me, the corner of his mouth pinned up.

"Of course she is." He insisted, watching Diego with a frown. "You doubt her?"

"I doubt you."

"Well, I'll be there. And so will everybody else. Soon she'll be hungry and hunt freely." Miles scoffed. "Is that what you want? For Alex to feed off every innocent in the town?"

"It's not about what I want; it's about what she wants." Diego muttered.

Miles growled lightly but other than that, ignored him and turned around as the bell rang through our ears, signalling us that final lesson was on its way.

Harshly, Miles grabbed my wrist and dragged me to our next class. I kept my eyes down at all times; not out of fright, but as a sign as my new resentment for my entire life. Before all this I had a boyfriend, who then became my husband. I had my werewolf friends and my best friend in the whole world.

But now, what did I have?

I had the remains of my friendship with the werewolves, who I hadn't seen since I had become a _freak_. I wasn't even too sure if I even had a best friend and now, I had the absolute pleasure of getting to glance at the man I loved once or twice every 24 hours. Was that even a life?

"Get your hand off of my best friend." A low voice growled in front of us. We suddenly came to a halt and when I flipped my hair to see Ryan, I was suddenly frightened of his expression. Pure, raw, acidic hatred.

"Your best friend?" Miles laughed, looking at Ryan from head to toe. "Listen, mate, I think you dropped that title on your way _out_ of Alexandra's life."

I was about to correct him when Ryan interrupted. "Well, excuse me _mate_," He sneered the word, almost spitting the word back at Miles, "but I think that decision is up to Alexandra, not you."

Miles huffed and looked down at me to confirm him.

I looked up at Ryan, trying to smile. "Best friend still applies, if you'll have me?"

Ryan grinned. "Well, I guess you'll do."

I slid my hand into his and went to stand next to him. Our fingers curled into each other and I let myself bask in the pleasure of still having my best friend. But as we turned away from my maker, the words I feared and loathed were growled at us both.

"Haven't you forgotten,_ Miss White_, but you burn when you're not around me."

I felt Ryan's body stiffen. Even his hand was clenched so tightly it would have broken y hand if I was still human. I stopped him from turning around and smashing Miles's face in with my other hand, pushing against his chest. He seemed to understand and nodded once. I let out a tired breath and looked back at Miles.

"We have Math together, Miles. I'll still be near you, so it won't affect me." I suddenly felt the growl rise up in my throat. "And I am not likely going to forget the pain. I will never forget the fact that you did this to me. You took away my life." And with that, I turned around, dragging Ryan easily behind me, ignoring his smirk and trying to hide my own.

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**So what did we think? Will we see a Jake/Alexandra reunion? And do we like the idea of Ryan saving our (not so) damsal in destress?**

**Let meee know ;) Please review**

**Meggss xoxo**


	34. A Letter

**Ok, this is Chapter 34 and i hope you enjoy it.**

**This chapter is dedicated to Chiodos-and-CinSun-Chick because I got a review from them that made my day (:**

**Keep reviewing guys **

**Meggss xoxo**

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"I'd like you all to answer questions A to F, then turn to page 36 to answer A, B and C. You have the rest of the lesson to complete this task. You may begin." The teacher declared, soon returning to her copy of Macbeth. Nobody was really paying to her, apart from me. I had nothing better to do. If I didn't occupy my mind I would think of other things; about Jake, about being changed, about Miles, about the thirst that was continuously distracting me.

"Alex..."

I looked up at Ryan. Our hands had been locked together for the past 36 minutes, and I was keen to keep it that way until we had to leave. Ryan was trying to be very careful around me. We hadn't spoken all lesson until now.

"Alex, if you'd rather sit with Miles, do not think you have to sit with me to keep me happy."

I tightened my grip on his hand. "No, please, I want to sit next to you. It's just...it's hard to concentrate on one thing."

A smile crept up on Ryan's expression, but faltered slightly as he said, "Well, that's great. But can you loosen your hand a little, Al? You're kinda killing me here."

Abruptly, I loosened my grip and smiled. At this point, my cheeks would have gone red. I still was not used to being strong now, perhaps stronger than everyone in the school. After all, I was still a newborn. A newborn freak, in fact! You didn't get them very often so I was sure I was talk of the school.

I smiled at Ryan, but it seemed the smile had completely been wiped off as he looked slightly uncomfortable. He then removed his hand from mine, making my stomach nervously sick instantly as the cold air replaced his warm soft skin. Every vampire felt warm to me now. It felt natural. But the hand didn't travel far, only to his pocket where it lingered.

"Al, I wasn't even sure if I could..._do_ this to you. Because I know it will hurt you, and I don't want to be a part of that." He frowned, staring at his pocket. He seemed to be fighting something in his head, and it only made me more anticipated – or reluctant – to know what he was up to.

After a second of silence between us, I sighed heavily. "What is it, Ryan?"

As a way of reply, he brought out a medium-sized white sheet that held my name in familiar writing. It was an envelope, with Jake's hand writing on.

"Ryan...?" I whispered, trying not to get too excited.

"Just remember that it wasn't my idea, Alex." He mumbled. "I don't think this is right. But if it's what you want..." He left the sentence unanswered, edging the white sheet towards me, gliding it slowly across the table. He watched me with uncertain eyes. Without think, I grabbed the envelope and ripped it open, pulling out the letter. My heart stopped – metaphorically – as I saw more of Jake's writing. It read:

_My dear Alexandra Young,_

_I know this is wrong, and selfish. But I need you to know how much I love you. And I always will._

_But after witnessing tonight, with you and Miles, I knew I wouldn't be able to deal with seeing that every moment I looked at you. And I never could ask you to cope with the unbearable pain you have to go through without him._

_So selfishly, I ask you of this - don't forget me. I will love you for the rest of my damned life, and I truly hope you feel the same. But I wish you happiness, not sadness._

_I also ask you to be yourself; the fun, lively Alex that I grew to adore and need. Seeing that everyday will keep me going._

_And when I see you on Monday, I will stay away from you, to make this that little bit easier for both of us. I know Ryan will keep you safe. I believe he has your best intensions at heart, and would do anything for you, as I would._

_I love you, my darling. Be happy, be safe, and1 be brave._

_Forever yours,_

_Jake Young. Xx_

I felt my heart crumbling at his words. I collapsed into Ryan's arms. He didn't ask what was wrong, or what the letter had said, he just held me tight and soothed my hair, just like he did when I was human. I felt his lips press against the top of my head.

I missed Jake like crazy. But he truly thought that our hearts breaking was better than me burning. I didn't. I wanted him, I needed him. Being alive wasn't enough without him. And an immortal life was worse.

I'd had enough of this immortal life already, and it had only been a few days, less than that! Jake was taking over my whole mind. Every thought, every feeling, every breath of air that I didn't need made me think of him. This wasn't the life I wanted; the life I wanted was with Jake, where we'd both be vampires, with friends and family who we'd never have the heartache of watching them die. But most of all, I craved my husband; his soft hands, his deep eyes, his beautiful heart, his gorgeous body and his knee-buckling voice. I wanted to be held in his arms. I wanted to wake up next to him everyday and question myself – just like I always have – how a man like him could ever pick someone like me?

Suddenly another hand was on my skin and abruptly I glared at it. Miles stood next to me, scowling at Ryan. His grip wasn't tight, but it wasn't gentle either, not like Ryan's.

"Alexandra, we have permission to leave class early." Miles said coldly, not removing his glare from Ryan, who was just about ready to bite Miles's hand off. Just in case, I softly took Miles hand in mine, only to let it drop by his side after.

"I don't want to leave early, Miles." I mumbled. The hand I had removed was now clenched into a fist at my words. "I want to stay with Ryan. Besides, we only have 15 minutes left. Can't we just stay for that long?"

"No, we're leaving now. The pack are waiting in the woods for us, now let's go." He said, taking my hand and dragging me out of my seat towards the door. But somebody – and I knew exactly who that somebody was – grabbed onto my hand, although a lot more gentle, to keep me standing in the middle of the classroom.

"Now boys," The teacher said sternly, not wanting a fight to break out in the middle of the classroom, and by the looks of things that was exactly how this was going to end. "If you want to play rough, do it outside. I won't have it in my classroom."

I frowned. Jake was right; a lot of the staff here were sorry excuses for teachers, and this one didn't even mind that two students were going to let rip at each other!

"Yeah, O'Connell," Ryan growled with the scariest expression I had ever seen plastered onto his usual beautiful, kind face. "Outside, now."

Without answering, Miles yanked me through the door and pulled me away so fast I had to run to keep up. And it frightened me. We were running so quickly that when we looked to the side everything was normal, as if we were running at a normal pace, but the amount of distance we had covered in a few seconds was scary. It reminded me of the time Jake and I skipped school and I ended up going home on Jake's back, the same night we first made love.

I mentally scolded myself for that one. That was all I needed to think about right now.

We were in the park, the same one right outside the woods. I guessed this was where we were going to hunt. Ryan was right next to me, quickly wrapping an arm around my waist, holding me fairly tight. Miles stood opposite us, almost foaming at the mouth.

"Alex, come on. Let's go hunt." Miles growled, holding out his hand.

"Miles, please, can't I just-" I started but Ryan snarled, which if I was a human, I'd have screamed because he did it right near my ear.

"He won't let you do anything, Al. He doesn't want us to be friends." Ryan fired, mainly at Miles, then his voice was a little softer as he said, "I won't let him do to us what he did to you and Jake."

"I'm doing this for her. She's safe with me." Miles growled back.

"Safe?" Ryan scoffed with eyes wide but still fierce. "_Your _the one that did this to her! She's hurting everyday because of you. Why in the world would I ever think she's safe with you?"

"It's not up to you." Miles stepped closer to me. He was too angry to say much, and to be honest, he was really starting to scare me. I may have been a strong and blood thirsty newborn, but when in between two vampires, I was pretty much quaking in my black leather boots.

Miles was right in front of my face. Both boys were snarling. Ryan's grip on my waist was much tighter now, and when his other hand was placed onto my nearest to Ryan, holding on _very_ tightly, that finally made Miles snap.

Miles lunged for Ryan's neck, but I was in the way. My instinct was to duck, or shove out of Ryan's arms, but I couldn't. The hand that was placed on my shoulder was pushed and my body spun against the arm that was wrapped around my waist. I twirled out of the way and fell to the concrete, smacking my head against a bar for the sing set. Because Ryan had moved by moving me, Miles ended up tackling his shoulder. Both boys landed on the concrete and on top of each other, snapping and clawing at the moving bodies.

Ryan kicked Miles off of him but didn't attack while he was down; he ran to me and started checking for bumps and scrapes. He ran his fingers so fast they were a blur. I took his hands and smiled softly.

"I'm ok, Ryan, really." I murmured.

The side of his mouth hitched up in a crooked grin. "Sorry, I guess I'm just used to giving you a scratch or two."

"Hmm, you know your right." I starting lifting my arms and moving my head to check my back. "They're must be a broken bone or _something_." I shook my head. "Maybe you should stop worrying about me, Ryan."

"Now why would I do that?" He chuckled.

"Umm, because I don't need to be looked after now," I grinned at him. "Freak, remember?"

He laughed and kissed my forehead. But as he did that, my mind was suddenly somewhere else. My eyes became ever so slightly unfocused as before. I couldn't feel Ryan's lips on the top of my head anymore and it felt as if all I could feel was the blood rushing through my veins.

"Al, what's wrong?"

My head started to spin, my mouth started to dry out and the craving at the back of my throat overtook me. My skin started to feel numb and my head felt sick and heavy with the feeling and _everywhere_ in my body was starting to burn.

I looked up to see Miles about 100 metres in front of us, right at the edge of the woods. I felt so angry that I wanted to tear at him, but all my body wanted to do was fall into his arms and hold on. Ryan looked around in the same direction that I was looking in, and started to snarl ferociously. My body wasn't weak, yet, so I started to run towards him. I wanted to tear the grin that was growing still and claw at his skin. In a second the fire had gone and I was a couple of metres away from a proud Miles. I growled at him, the feeling of wind hit my skin once again and I looked back to Ryan. He seemed slightly sad, still very angry but most of all, frightened. Frightened of how easily I could hurt. How easy it was for Miles to make me surrender to his wishes.

"Couldn't stay away from me, could you?" Miles chuckled. I turned around and looked at him blankly. I quickly moved my hand away when he reached out to hold it, and moved in front of him, following the familiar smell of the pack.

"Let's just go hunt some stinking wildlife, O'Connell." I muttered, listening to his every footstep.

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**Well that was chapter 34. Im so glad i didnt make Alex get hurt in this one. She's had enough bumps and bruises to last her a lifetime.**

**Please review and tell me what you think. Dedcations are up for grabs (:**

**Will update next chapter soon, and i have a good idea coming up that i hope you'll all like.**

**Meggss xxx**


	35. Sun Doesn't Shine

**Im Back, and sorry that i took so long. Im very thankful to my reviewers this past few weeks for staying with me and encouraging me to carry on and by all means - hurry up! This chapter is dedicated to -1-Dots-1- because they have been very sweet and interested in this story and the next chapter.**

**Hope you enojoy, and may i say, Eclipse Trailer & Sneak Peak = OMFG!!! 3**

**Meg xx**

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"Oh, come on, Alex, talk to me." Miles whined, following me, pulling on my arm like a puppy that just got into trouble. We were almost in the middle of the woods, right where the pack was the last time I was in here, when I was human. I pushed the thought to the back of my head and listened for the thudding of running werewolves.

I stopped still while Miles took a few steps in front and then stood opposite me, not even half a metre away. He took my hands in his and looked at me blankly.

"Is it because of the fight, between me and the stupid vampire?" I glared at him, making him sigh. "Ok, Ryan; is it that, then? Is that why you're not talking to me?"

He said it as if he expected an answer! I resisted the urge to spit in his face, and I almost did, until the thudding of running had ceased. Maggie came to stand beside me, smiling as usual, rubbing my arm like she had since this morning, every time she greeted me.

I looked at her, and then attempted a smile. She frowned and then looked closely at me.

Oh no!

She abruptly turned towards Miles, pulled back her hand and slapped him harshly across the cheek. Everybody gasped around him, surprisingly except for Diego, who instead wrapped his arms around Maggie's delicate waist and pulled her away. She was hissing at him, using words that surprised me, coming from her mouth.

"What the hell, Maggie?" Miles yelled. He growled at Maggie, and I stepped away from them, kind of shocked at her response. She moved herself out of Diego's grip, trembling slightly with anger and frustration.

"What is going on?" Diego shouted at her, looking back and forth between the two.

"Tell them!" Maggie shouted, glaring back at Miles with the fiercest expression I'd ever seen on her normal sweet face. "Tell them what you did to Alex."

Everybody looked at me, confused expression radiating from each face. Diego walked closer to me. I hadn't noticed how far back I had stumbled from Miles until Diego walked over to me. He put a kind hand on my shoulder, as if his intention was to keep me from "doing a Maggie".

"Alexandra?" He murmured. I sighed heavily.

"Ryan and Miles got in a fight, and to get me to stay with Miles...he moved too far away." I mumbled the last bit in a whisper.

"That's right. He made her _burn_ because he wanted his own way." Maggie sneered, kicking up dead leaves in irritation. She looked at him with cold, disappointed eyes. The rest of the packs' suddenly looked the same, apart from Rachel, of course. She seemed to be grinning. Then Maggie's voice assured me, "That's because she's a sick, jealous brat, Alex. Miles and Rachel don't care who they hurt as long as they get what _they_ want. They're perfect for each other."

To me, Rachel looked delighted at that, but Miles did not. He was sill rubbing his cheek – Maggie must have packed in some effort – and walked over to Maggie, who stepped back with every step he took. Soon he gave up and stood still. He didn't look hurt, or guilty. He looked...annoyed.

"That's not true, and you know it." He said with a cold edge to his voice. "I'm not like that."

"Oh, really?" Ross interrupted. "What about Rachel? You took her away from her human life."

"She was and _still is_ in love with me! How is that my fault?" Miles argued.

Ross stepped forward, even closer to Miles. Everyone in the pack seemed to surround Miles, me being the exception, as I was still stuck leaning on the tree. I didn't know a lot of Rachel's past, apart from her being best friends with Bray, meeting Miles and falling head over heels for him so that she left the rest of her life behind. I never knew it was Miles who physically changed her – personality _and_ species – into who she was today.

"Oh, come on Miles! We all know who you are really, so stop the crap." Ross growled. His hands clenched into fists and his face scrunched up slightly.

"Yeah: a vicious, mental-case monster." Maggie stated coldly. Miles looked seriously surprised at her remark. He stepped again towards her; he obviously hadn't learnt from before.

"You don't really mean that, Maggie." He chuckled darkly. "We're best friends."

"I'm starting to rethink that, Miles." She said with a disappointed, hurt tone. She came to stand next to me and rubbed my arm. I was cold, a little frightened, and remembering hurting all over. I would never forgive him for that. For making me feel that sort of pain twice because of him.

"How could you do it, though, Miles?" Diego said, watching the floor then abruptly looking at Miles. "Alexandra _never_ did anything to you. After everything you've done, how could you hurt her just that little bit more?"

"Oh, come on! It was no big deal!" He yelled, irritated that everyone was taking this so seriously. "So I _made_ her stay with me. At least she didn't go off with Ryan. Who knows how hurt she'd been if he stayed around her longer than ten minutes?"

I snarled at that remark. Ryan could and had hurt me, but he _never_ meant it, or did it to get his own way! Watching Miles, my eyes turned into slits and I felt the venom leak onto my teeth. "Keep Ryan out of this." I said with my jaw clenched.

"Why should I?" Miles said with a smirk playing on his lips. "He hurts you, and I'm your maker. That gives me the right to simply rip him to shreds."

"You won't touch him." I growled. He was pushing me _way_ too far. Diego and Maggie watched me warily, while everybody stepped back.

Miles took another step towards me, daring me unknowingly.

"You know what? Why don't I take him out, and then kill Jake along with him."

That did it.

Crouching then springing in less than a second, I hit Miles and we landed on the floor. I snapped at him with my teeth, clawing at his skin with my nails. It didn't easily peel off like it would with a human, or even a vampire or werewolf for that matter. I almost forgot that Miles was a freak, like me.

The others tried to carefully pull me off of him, but soon Miles was on top of me. He restrained my arms above my head. And being a new born _freak_ I would have easily kicked him off of me, but I wasn't strong enough. I was thirsty, and therefore weak.

But when I – and probably the pack too – thought Miles was going to attack back, he came close to my neck. For a second ten I was sure he was going to bite me, to drink from me to make me even weaker, but he didn't. Instead he placed his lips gently to my skin, right at the base of my throat.

Outraged, I kicked a d shoved at him with everything but my arms, but I could get out of is grasp. Again, he attacked me with his lips, but this time he trailed his mouth up to mine, hungrily kissing me.

I screamed at him in between his breaths – not that he needed it – but he stayed how he was. He suddenly pressed his whole body against mine and that was when I felt like ripping _him_ to pieces! With my sharp teeth I bit onto his bottom lips, but he yelped and pulled away before I could make my mind up about tearing it off or not.

Abruptly he was off me. Diego slung him onto the ground a couple of feet away from us and pulled me up. Thanking him with an ever so small smile, I walked up to a lying Miles. He had dirty dust covering his clothes and he was laughing darkly to himself.

I kicked him firmly in the balls.

The boys stifled a laugh while Miles clutched them in agony. Spitting at him, I snarled, "I am not yours. And I never will be."

In between moans, Miles groaned, "You don't have a choice."

Was he right? Could I, from now on, never have my own free will? For the rest of eternity I was bound to Miles. It was what he had set in the ground. But could no one else decide what was set and what was not?

"We'll see." I mumbled to him, but also to myself.

I took a step backwards. Then another, then another. I turned swiftly towards Maggie. She smiled knowingly as I slowly walked past her.

"Run." She whispered happily.

I couldn't help but grin back at her. I loved her so much now. She was very much like my sister. She knew what I was thinking, but unlike Miles, she knew what was fair and wasn't clouded by her own selfishness to see what was for the best.

Quickening my step, I passed the rest of the pack who were also smiling at me, but because of the whole kicking Miles where the sun doesn't shine.

Leaving the clearing, I heard Miles yell behind me, "Where are you going? Alex!" But I ignored him. I was determined to do this...whether it killed me or not. After all, we didn't even know if the pain I felt was the start of my death.

I started running even faster now. Faster than I had ever ran before, even after that fateful night. My feet pounded against the muddy floor of the woods. I listened to nothing but them. The sound soon changed as it hit concrete. The sudden change made me pause, but I regretted that instantly.

The change of thought made me realise that the fire had started. I groaned and pulled my arms to my stomach. It started there and soon began to travel. If I didn't carry on now, then I'd never be able to.

Looking forward and stepping quickly, one after the other, I began my stride again. It would take less than a minute to get to Jake's and it was already getting dark. The way I looked at life was different from before. Nothing seemed special or unique, apart from Jake, when I was human. But now, every pattern, every sky or even every hour was unique onto itself and it would never again be repeated. It was a wonder that I didn't feel special, even now when my reason for life was gone, to be a part of this brand new world around me.

I was way down the street now, but the fire was even stronger now. It had crept up to my heart, plunging up and down my body, making me groan. My speed was slowly drastically and I tried to fight the desperate thought of running back to Miles.

Running now at a human pace, I was about 20 doors down from Jake and Molly's house.

Stumbling, I tripped and fell down onto the floor. I felt myself fall to the floor but I wasn't fully aware. The pain was unbearable. I wept tearlessly and cried out, hoping someone would hear me.

"Come on, get up, get up, get up!" I screamed at myself. I hit the road with my fist, trying to slam he fire out. "Jake! Jake, please...please, help me." I wept hysterically. I looked up at the street that I was trying to run down. I could see Jake's door. It looked so easy to get to.

Slowly becoming too tired to cry, I heard low voices not a short distance away. There were many, not a lot of them I recognised. They were the people of the street. Five voices I recognised easily. I zoomed in on them.

"_You should have seen her face, Molly. I had to look away after a second before I ran over to her and took her in my arms." _Jake's voice muttered.

"_We know it's hard for you, man." _Nate's voice said softly. _"Remember, you're doing this for her."_

"_Yes, Jake. We're all here for you. No matter what you decide to do." _Leona's voice agreed with Nate.

My dead heart skipped a beat, telling the fire to shut up so it could hear more while the butterflies in my stomach made me feel queasy. Weakly, I pushed up from the road and tried to concentrate.

"_There's nothing to decide." _Jake growled at them._ "The quicker I learn to deal with this, the easier it will be for Alex."_

"_If that's what you want." _

"_Of course it's not what he wants, Bray." _My sister-in-law muttered to her. _"He loves her more than anything, _that's_ why he won't stay with Alexandra."_

"_I just don't want her to hurt anymore." _Jake almost cried.

"No!" I tried to cry out, but they couldn't hear my feeble plea. "No, please, Jake. I love you so much, please don't!"

Stumbling up, I clutched my stomach as I made a run for the door. I automatically counted my footsteps, as if it would make it easier. The fire blazed in my stomach and I gasped at the fierceness of it.

I was so close that I could smell Jake's amazing scent. The very same one I liked to indulge in when I was human. But with my vampire censes it was so magical I could breathe it, leaving oxygen behind – not that I needed it now anyway.

The butterflies overwhelmed me as I crashed to the front door steps. Weakly, I banged my fist against the front door. Excited and desperate, I pulled myself up again so quickly it surprised me altogether, and I fell forward in surprise.

I was wrapped in the scent again. But this time it was all around me. I hadn't crashed into the door. I was inside the house, the door open, caught in a strong pair of arms.

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**Ooo A bit of a cliff hanger. Exams are over for a while, but i do need to concentrate on my friends birthday gift - she might read this so no clues - so hopefully i'll update as soon as i can. Please click on Chippy and review this chapter. Advice and ideas always welcome 3 M. xx**


	36. Heaven On Earth

I fell into a strong pair of arms that – thankfully – held me up straight. For some reason I didn't focus on the fire that was still blazing through my body. It was still there, but I didn't _want_ to feel it, and so my mind was set on something else. Set on the mind blowing scent of the house, the heat of the bodies sitting a few feet away and the one that hadn't let me crash into the door, or the wall, for that matter.

Everybody was holding their breath at the vampire/werewolf that had just come falling through the door. Apart from me. I was breathing heavily, trying to control it but failing miserably as I looked at the angel's face who stared down at me.

"Alex," Jake whispered blankly as he held me still at arms length.

I couldn't answer; not that there was anything to answer _to._ I just stood there. My mind was whirling at the feeling of his hands touching my uncovered upper arms. His skin was touching my skin again; his breath entwining with mine and with our faces – for the first time in days – closer than a metre apart.

He gulped heavily enough for everyone to hear in the silent house. He said my name again, but not as if he was about to ask me something, like 'why the hell am I here'. It was in a way that showed he couldn't believe it was me. As if this situation wasn't happening before us right here, right now.

Then I realised something. What if this was a mistake? What if he didn't _want_ me to be here? What if this was the worst situation he could be in and didn't know what to do or say.

"What are you doing here?"

Yes, it confirmed it. He didn't want this to happen. It was awkward for him, and a deep feeling of loneliness and heartbreak fell to the pit of my stomach from the top of my throat in a form of a gulp. I felt myself trembling and his hands gripped my slightly tighter. Was he angry with me?

"I'm sorry, I..." I didn't know what to say.

"_How _did you get here? Aren't you in pain?" He said the last word coldly.

I thought about that for a moment. Was I in pain? Where was the fire now? I searched my body for it, but it wasn't like before. There was _something_ burning, but like every second before now it was the low rumbling burn at the back at my throat. Like the burn when drinking alcohol, but deeper. It was only painful in a certain way – hunger.

"Alex?" He said again, this time shaking me ever so gently.

"I – I don't know. It's different now." I mumbled quickly. "I don't understand. It hurt before but now, it's just...thirst."

Jake's eyebrows pulled down in confusion. He looked at me with his own pain. Maybe he was feeling guilty, or something. Not that he should, or that I'd ever want that. He held me even tighter now, so tight it would have hurt if only I was human again.

"Are you telling me that it's gone?" He said coldly.

That scared me. His voice was deep and dark, like ice that was so beautiful but deadly at the same time. And irresistible altogether.

With a small nod of my head, I agreed to what I assumed was in fact true.

And as quick as a bullet, I was suddenly pulled into Jake's stomach. His lips fell onto mine not harshly like Miles's, but hungrily and desperate. With all I had, I kissed him back, clutched him by his clothes and pulling him closer.

Within ear shot I heard the other four vampires say they're 'getting out of here before the two love birds bring the house down'. I laughed against Jake's lips at that, which made him growl. Oh, how that growl turned me on. I slipped my tongue between his lips and played with his, not wanting to be playful at all tonight. I needed him. We needed each other and anything less that getting to remember each others bodies once again would not suffice.

Once we heard the front door slam, Jake picked me up, not once letting his lips leave mine. He ran us upstairs to – once again – our bedroom. Closing the door, I laughed as we fell on the bed and tangled our selves with each other.

Between kisses, I whispered to him, "I...missed...you...so much!"

He growled again, drawing a moan from my lips as he pulled me under him. Sucking on my bottom lip, he stroked my body from my cheek all the way down to my hip. Grabbing onto the top, he yanked it off. He ran his hands over my skin and sent goose bumps running all over my body. This was knew; he no longer felt cold to me.

After I pulled his tight shirt off too, I explored his body once again with my hands. I dared not look anywhere but his angelic face tonight. Well...maybe one other place too.

Hours passed as we spent time to remember how we smelt, how we tasted and how we moved with each other. We lay in bed until the sun started to rise. Bringing up our entwined hands, I kissed his fingers, one kiss each and then started all over again.

"Another day dawns." I murmured.

He did not smile. Instead, he pulled me even closer and kissed me softly on the lips. Bringing his face back, he watched me silently. With his other hand he brought it to my cheeks and stroked it. Normally I would have blushed, but it made no difference to my skin now.

Finally, he spoke, "You kissed him?"

He said it so silently it made my heart twist that little bit more.

"No," I murmured.

"His scent is all over you." He mumbled, not hurtfully. He pressed his fingers behind my ear, "Here," then he brought them to the hollow of my neck, "here," and then, with hesitation, he brought them up to my lips. The words broke as he whispered, "and here."

I thought about this for a moment.

"Will you believe me?" I whispered to him, looking away from his face.

He dragged my chin over to him so he could kiss me sweetly. "I would be lying if I said I didn't believe everything from those lips."

I thought about it some more, about what I was going to tell him. I would tell him everything, I knew that. I just wanted to put it as delicately as I could.

"After school...Miles decided to have my first hunting session. But there was an incident and then the pack and Miles had an argument." I mumbled.

"Go on," Jake said reassuringly.

"Miles said some harsh words about Ryan, and...i got angry. I attacked him but he rolled me over and...started to kiss me. I got him to stop by biting his lip." I muttered. "If it wasn't for Diego, I would have bitten the stupid thing off."

Jake chuckled at that softly. He held my face closely so my face touched his at all times. He took my lip between his and started to suck. I tried to stop the moan, but it came out, and as soon as it did, I didn't care anyway.

"Ah, my little monster." He chuckled again. But then his face grew serious. "I am so sorry, Alexandra."

"For what?" I murmured, simply happy to be close to him. I wasn't close enough, so I pushed my body against his so every part was touching his skin. I could get enough of him, and was truly in a dream right now.

"Where do I begin?" He muttered to himself, closing his eyes tightly. He looked like he was in pain. "None of this would have happened if I hadn't left the hospital."

"Jake, you needed to have gone home _sometime!"_ I scolded him. "If you were there, would this have turned out differently?"

His eyes opened suddenly, looking confused. "I could have stopped him!"

"Jake, no matter how impressive your strength and undeserved love for me is," He tried to interrupt me, but I held a finger on his lips to stop him first, "Miles O'Connell is both vampire _and _werewolf. I'm not even sure if _I _could stop him doing anything! And I'm a new born, after all."

"I'm sure you could, love. Besides," He murmured, "I should have still been there for you."

Bringing my lips to his, I laid there, enjoying heaven on earth and my angel on my lips. "I don't want to live in the past anymore, Mr Young." I whispered humorously, watching his beautiful grin spread across his face. "I want the future to start, right now, with my husband."

"And _I, _Mrs Young, want to spend every second of that future with you. If you'll let me of course." He smiled at me, kissing me over and over, letting me slip into my heaven once again.

"I couldn't think of any other way of spending eternity." I mumbled sleepily to him and I hugged him even closer.


	37. Butterflies

**Hey guys - sorry i took so long updating. I have had a lot of work to do at school and exams and coursework and skills day and assessments etc and one of my bessie's birthday story too. Which i have permition to upload onto here when its done. YAY! **

**Ok, so a massive thankyou to the few reviewers that i have so far. ou guys are absolutley amazing and i wouldnt have written so much if it wernt for you all. Thank you. To the other readers, please review. As always, every idea, criticism and comment is welcome. just click on CHIPPY! (:**

**This chapter is dedicated to a Miss Stephanie Knight. This girl is amazing and i hope she can get through the whole story like the rest of you have. Please encourage Steph through me and i will tell her whatever you say. ;) **

**R&R please! **

**Love youuuhhh all. Enjoy **

**M. xxx**

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I woke up with my head cushioned under Jake's chin. He slept soundly; after last night we were both exhausted. His skin was warm to me now. He felt fantastic to me – not that he didn't before – and I wanted more of him.

He sighed heavily in his dreams. I wish I was there. I wish I knew what he was thinking. This was all so amazing. Hours ago I had fire blazing all through my body. Now I was much more than satisfied and was lying next to my husband, with his arms wrapped around my stomach and his warm, sweet breath blowing my messy hair all over my head. Jake made another sound, but it was slightly different to the sigh he gave earlier. It was more of a whimper. His bottom lip puffed out over his upper lip. He looked incredibly cute but seriously funny!

Suddenly Jake's eyes fluttered open at my trembling stomach. He looked at me sleepily as I tried to stop my giggles. "What?" He spoke oddly as his lip was still stuck to his top lip. I laughed harder. He frowned at me. "What? What is it?" He sounded a little annoyed that he hadn't been let in on the joke. Instead, I stretched up to his beautiful face and pulled his bottom lip between both of my own lips. He tasted sweet and his eyes widened in surprise as I sucked gently.

"Ok..." He murmured awkwardly with his lip still in my mouth. "If this is how you wake up in the morning now days then I am never going to leave this bed."

I giggled at him and reluctantly removed his lip from my mouth. He pressed his lips to mine and mumbled something like good morning beautiful, but I wasn't really listening. I remembered every little detail of his morning face. I ran my hands through his scruffy morning hair and pecked his lips over and over again. It was funny how vampires didn't have morning breath. His eyes almost sparkled as the sun crashed through the window. Our skin melted together as a rainbow dragged across both of our uncovered legs. I wrapped mine with his, forcing myself to roll on top of him. He looked up at me and placed a stray piece of black hair behind my ear. I was so close to his face that my lips brushed his as I spoke softly, trying to not ruin the sleepy morning atmosphere.

"Jake, its Tuesday. Tuesday morning."

"Mmm," He murmured, closing his eyes as I moved my lips to the tip of his nose.

"As in school, Jake," I laughed at him. "We have school today. You know, the whole thing with students, and lessons, and a thing called coursework."

At this he moaned and rolled me over. Ignoring my squeals and complaints, he was now on top of me but he sat up. He straddled my barely covered thighs to stop me from kicking him off. Sun danced on his bare chest, defining each curve and dent of his beautiful body. He gazed down at me. How could I get so lucky?

"We're skipping school today." He simply explained. "I want you here...with me..." he brought his face closer to mine, closing his eyes and lowering his lips to my neck. I gave in easily as he continued speaking on my skin, grazing my neck and shoulders with his teeth. "...in our bedroom...alone...until it gets dark...and then we'll do it all over again tomorrow."

I moaned from under him in pleasure; I could easily see the grin spread across his gorgeous face in my mind.

"Jake-" I started to protest unwillingly.

"Are you saying you have a problem with that, love?" He murmured. "Because if you do then...well, what does it matter? You don't get a say in this."

I scoffed. Oh wait, was he serious? If he wasn't serious then I would punish him for teasing me and for suggesting he controlled my will. If he _was_ serious, I think I will be starting to like this controlling, sexy Jake of mine.

But back to reality, "Jake, seriously babe, we have an exam today, remember?"

"Urghh," He roared in irritation, sitting up quickly. "Why does that bloody school always spoil my fun?"

I chuckled and nibbled on his finger. He looked down and laughed too. "I guess it would only be two hours, so I'll just have to deal."

"Mmm," I said against his finger, then abruptly flew open my eyes. "Two hours?" I spun my head to look at the alarm clock. Indeed, it was 12.45pm. Fifteen minutes until lunch time and two hours and fifteen minutes until the end of school. I span back to look at my grinning husband. "You don't set your alarm clock anymore?"

"Yes, I do set _our_ alarm clock on still." I rolled my eyes at his correction. "But I turned it off while I was watching you sleep. You looked too delectable in your sleep and I couldn't ruin that with the ear shattering sound."

"Erm, how long have you been watching me sleep?"

"You fell asleep at 2.30 am and I went to sleep at 10.00am."

"Are you frigging kidding me, Jake? You stayed awake to watch me sleep for seven and a half hours?" I yelled, slapping his arm.

"Hey!" He said in playful offense. "You were obviously watching me sleep before!"

"For eleven minutes!"

He smirked at me. "Same difference."

I rubbed his arm. "Jake...you must be shattered."

"Yeah, but it was totally worth it." He said, kissing my arm as I stroked his. My tummy filled with another set of butterflies as I gulped down the lump in my throat. "Aren't I just the sweetest?"

I smacked his arm again. He ruined my moment. He chuckled, and unfortunately for him, he'd let his guard down, giving me the chance to roll him over so I was straddling him. Having got the chance to escape, I hopped off of Jake, missing his reaching arm by millimetres and ran off to the wardrobe. My dead heart stopped as I swung open the door. I held my hand up to my chest in shock.

"You..." I gulped. "You still have all my clothes." It wasn't a question. When Jake decided it would be impossible for us to be together, I thought he would chuck out all of my belongings or burn all of my clothes; but no. There they were, still in the same order before the car accident. It's funny how I hardly remember the accident when it was the main reason why Miles had the chance to change me into a freak in the first place.

I suddenly felt Jake's arms wrap around my waist. "Of course I have, love. What did you expect?"

"Well...I don't know really. I guess I thought you wouldn't want a reminder of me in the one place you didn't have to see me."

"Alex, don't be silly." He murmured, kissing my temple. "I saw you everywhere. I thought about you constantly. So much it made me love sick." He laughed at himself. "The past few days have been torture, love. Seeing you in my head everywhere: in my bed, in the kitchen, physically at school and mentally in the house. Seeing you but not even being able to touch you – it's the worst thing I have ever had to endure."

I sniffed as if I was about to cry right then. He squeezed me tighter at the sound and I kissed the crease of his elbow. Jake was so amazing. I couldn't explain how much I loved him. He was absolutely everything. And he was right – I couldn't get him out of my head either. And at school I had practically turned into a watching stalker!

"Fine," Jake groaned. He gave in and unwound himself from me. He pulled out his light blue button up shirt and jumped into the same jeans he wore yesterday night. I smiled at him. I had won. It only took me a minute to choose my outfit. After all, we only had two hours left of school, and who knows how many shreds these clothes would be in when we returned.

I pulled on my flower-patterned tights and my slightly puffy blue and black checked skirt. I slipped into my white vest and threw on my pearl necklace with the black bow and my Black All Star Conversers. I looked at myself in the mirror. I hadn't worn make-up since I was human and I couldn't be bothered to start right now. I left my face and hair like it was, although my hair was still a complete wreck from...last night.

"Why is it that I'm so lucky to have the most beautiful girl in the entire world loving me?" Jake said, nibbling my ear as he came up from behind me.

"It's because I'm a vampire, Jake. Slash werewolf."

"No," he growled playfully. "It's because you're Alexandra Young; my wife, my soul mate, my best friend and my whole life."

I giggled playfully. "Ooh, aren't I lucky?" and dragged him downstairs and out of the front door.

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**Do we like??? Hopefully I will update soon, and then maybe the chapters will get bit messier ;D But please review! Thank you! M. x**


	38. Always Run

**Hey everyone. Thanks for all the reviews and comments but please i would love lots more!!**

**I have had some problems with my laptop so i havent been updating lately but i hope this pleases my constant readers.**

**Here some old friends return and someone's been drinking over night. Enjoy x**

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We arrived at school in less than two minutes; including signing in and grabbing some drinks from the cafeteria. The school was no different to how we left it yesterday, but there was _something_ different in the air. I assumed it was just me. I was so happy and excited to be back with Jake by my side my senses were all over the place. He looked just as happy as I did as he held my hand and carried the bottles of water in his other strong hand.

The large cafeteria was packed. It hadn't been raining outside, although dark clouds had begun to hide the sun that once shone on our naked bodies this early afternoon. We walked out of the canteen doors, trying to keep our grins under control. I was unbelievably happy.

"Al, there you are!" Ryan yelled from the opposite end of the room. He was leaning on the wall beside one of the lunch tables. He sprung off of the wall and ran towards me, and in a sharp moment I was pulled into a tight hug. "Jesus, I was so worried! Why weren't you in earlier?"

He released me from the death hug and looked at me, not removing his hands from my arms. "Uh, we got hung up." I said, thanking Miles for what he did for the first time. My cheeks would have sparkled red and give everything away.

Ryan's eyes looked to me sternly. "Maggie came in asking where you were. She told me you'd ran away from Miles last night after you went off together to hunt. You could have been lying in a gutter somewhere for all I knew!"

"I nearly was." I laughed. No one else laughed with me. "But I'm fine; as you can see I am safe and here."

"So I guess you two are back together." Ryan stated with his eyes on our linked hands. Then he looked back up to me. "Doesn't it hurt?"

I shrugged. "I'm actually not trying to think about it. I'm always thirsty though, but thanks to the school wristbands, it's just a dull fire at the back of my throat - like the feeling after drinking wine."

"Well..." He frowned and then a smile pulled up on his lips. It surprised me. It wasn't as if Jake and Ryan were the best of friends. "That's great, Al. I'm happy for you," he looked at Jake and nodded, "for the both of you. I know how much you mean to each other."

Jake nodded in return and I smiled, looking up at my husband. He wasn't smiling back. "Where's O'Connell?"

Ryan shrugged. "No one knows. Not even his pack. I was worried before, in case he was still with Alex." Then he turned to me in sudden excitement, grabbing my arm and pulling me towards the table. "I have a surprise for you."

Looking back at Jake, he nodded in encouragement. "Go. I'll catch you up in a bit love. I have to go inform Mrs Nibbs that we'll be at the exam."

I frowned. Wouldn't she already know, seeing as she signed us in and all? But I shrugged it off and unwillingly followed Ryan, leaving Jake to head towards the office. I tried pulling my arm away; protesting that this was silly, but then I heard the voices.

"...and there's an outdoor heated swimming pool too! We've got the pictures and all our stuff is already set up ready for us to make it official!" A familiar voice squealed. Then jealous voices followed after. "This time we don't have to share a room. Mine is much bigger than hers, anyway."

"Umm, wrong; mine is the largest bedroom in the entire house!"

Walking faster, I was practically dragging Ryan with me. He laughed as he knew that _I _knew. I pushed through the crowd surrounding the voices. I ignored the complaints and the shouts and I shoved classmates' shoulders to get to them.

I stood there in shock. The two faces looked back at me, not in shock, but because they weren't prepared to see me. Their fairy like faces began to change; letting small smiles replace the small O's that were plastered on their faces. One of them began to stand up slowly. Her hair had changed. Her short golden hair had grown since I last saw her. The other girl's was the same – almost to her thigh. All of a sudden, the girl standing jumped into my space and flung her arms around me, not being able to stand still or contain herself any longer.

"Oh, Alex!" Mika squeaked in my ear, hugging me as tightly as she could. She wasn't very strong for a shape shifter. I hardly felt it; it wasn't tight enough for me now. "It's been so long! We both missed you so much."

Still in shock, I almost missed Amelia getting up to join in with the hug. She had tears in her eyes. "We missed you like crazy, Alex."

Suddenly being able to register that the twins were back at school, I hugged them both back. I wanted to cry. I had missed them like crazy! Where had they been? I thought their dad was only supposed to pull them out of school for a holiday? I shut my eyes and let myself just...feel. I hadn't felt like this for a long time. I was emotional with Jake. Being able to hold the love of my life in my arms again was the best feeling in the world. But with two of my best friends missing, and now returning...it was if nothing was bad anymore. It was if all the cracks in my heart had been placed back together with super glue.

"Get a room," coughed someone from behind me; Ryan obviously. I ignored him and squeezed tighter.

"Umm...yeah, Alex? Can you not squeeze so tightly?" Mika spluttered, out of breath.

"Yeah; we're kinda dying here." Amelia joined in. I laughed and let go abruptly. The two girls smiled back at me. I grinned back. "It's great to see you, Alex. We really have missed you all."

"Why have you been gone so long? Why didn't you call?" I said, too happy to be angry. "A holiday for that long must have cost your dad a fortune! Where did he take you this time? France? Florida? Spain?"

The girls' expressions suddenly dropped. The people surrounding us went quiet too. Was I missing something here?

"Uh, a little place in Sydney." Amelia mumbled. "But it wasn't a holiday, Alex."

I frowned. What?

"Dad bought a place out there about six months ago. We stayed in the house while we were away and our stuff has already been sent over." Mika said.

My stomach plummeted to my feet. I felt a little queasy.

"We're flying over tomorrow to officially move in. We came back a little while ago so we could say our goodbyes today." Amelia finished.

I felt a hand on my back; Ryan, again! He already knew.

I turned round to face him. "And this was the news you were so excited to show me? That two of my best friends have come back from being in _Sydney_ for _months_ and I get to see them for one more day, then they're going back to _live_ there?"

"I..." He started, but he didn't know what to say.

"Alex, don't be like that." Amelia smoothly said. If it was our choice at all, we'd stay put. But dad is refusing to let us stay."

"But why? Why does he have to take you away from _here_? Where you belong!"

They paused for a moment, and then Mika said quietly. "Dad wants us to pretend to be human from now on." I gawped at her. "He says it's safer for us all. Apparently the supernatural will soon turn against each other, or _something_ along those lines. He's been offered a job up there and everything, so it will be like a normal life."

I couldn't speak.

I turned and walked away. I had felt like everything was coming back together again, after all the shit I'd been through! But it wasn't. It was falling apart.

Ryan grabbed my arm. I yanked it away and looked at him, trying to hide how upset I was.

"Al, come on..."

"Did you enjoy that?" I muttered icily. "Was it what you expected; me standing there, realisation hitting me?"

"Of course not; would it really have been better if I told you myself?" He said, his voice raising a notch. "Besides, the twins wanted to tell you themselves."

"Oh, boo – fucking – hoo!" I screamed at him. I started to step away from him. The feeling of rejection was too much. "Why does everyone always leave me?!"

I started to run as fast as possible out of the canteen and into the outside picnic area. I was there in less than seconds. Ryan hadn't followed.

I started wiping away the tears that had finally left my eyes. I sniffled. Thunder crackled and the first drops of ice started to drip down from the black clouds. Then sun had completely died away and I was alone in the eerie, closed off area. The grass was shadowed by the clouds and the concrete slabs surrounding it seemed black – like hollow, giant cracks leading straight down to hell.

The rain started to fall harder, soaking through my clothes fairly quickly and drenching my hair so it stuck to my cheeks. I regretted wearing tights and a skirt almost instantly. I started to shiver in the cold wind, but I had no intention of going back inside.

I walked up to one of the many picnic tables and sat down, resting my head in my arms. I was feeling so lonely and useless I hadn't noticed footsteps behind me.

"What's the matter, princess?" The husky voiced slurred.

I didn't even need to lift my head to know it was Miles, and that he was drunk. I could smell the alcohol on him and it irritated my nose.

"Jog on, O'Connell. Go and ruin some other innocent teenager's life." I muttered into my arm. I felt him sit next to me so I quickly shuffled further down the bench until I felt wood press into the side of my thigh.

"Ahh, you know you don't mean that Al." He carried on slurring. "We're best buds, you and me...maybe even a little bit more than that."

"One – we are not 'best buds'." I said in a disgusted voice. "Two – do not call me Al, and three – we will never be anything more than...well, you're nothing to me Miles. Now get lost."

He frowned. "No, I mean, I should be everything to you." He suddenly laughed, sending a chill down my spine. He must have been drinking in all night to create that sort of stench in his breath. "I'm your bloody maker, for crying out loud! You should be begging for me."

"You're right; I am begging you." I said, starting to get pissed off. I sat up and shoved him." Now please, _oh please_, get the hell away from me!"

I did a double take as I watched him tumble awkwardly off of the bench and onto the ground. He hit the concrete slabs roughly, scraping a bare arm against the floor, causing it to bleed. But other than that it didn't look like I had done much damage. He was just far too out of it to fall correctly.

"You little _bitch_!"

I was surprised he was even bothered, a 'tough' guy like him.

I sighed heavily and reached down, offering him my hand. "Listen, I'm sorry, but you just wouldn't –" but I didn't have a chance to finish.

Miles suddenly grabbed my wrist and turned onto his side, dragging me across the bench as he moved. But instead of making me join him on the floor, he tugged me harshly, throwing me into the air.

I couldn't grab onto anything as I flew quickly through the air. Rain had already soaked through my clothes and was now splashing in my face, making it hard for me to see. I spluttered and strained my newish vampire vision to see where I was going to land.

But I felt it before I saw it. I knew where we were, but for a couple of minutes I had forgotten, and now it hit me, as I slammed – shoulder first – into the brick wall, the furthest one away from where I had been sitting seconds ago.

Falling to the floor, I clutched my shoulder as it throbbed. I felt the blood rub from my broken skin to my fingertips, but I could barely see through the rain. The clouds still casted a gloomy shadow over the school, although we weren't in complete dark. The light from the corridor windows helped me to see Miles walk towards me.

I panicked and started to scramble away. Tiny stones pushed their way under my nails as I tried to move fast, but my shoulder was screaming at me to stop.

I moaned as Miles knelt in front of me. I was frightened.

"Why must you always run, Alex?" He huffed at me, as if he was disappointed. His dark eyes levelled with my pleading ones. The blackness seemed to go on forever as I watched him stare at me unsympathetically. "Don't you know we were meant to be together? Can't you feel it?"

He took my hand in his and placed it on his lips. Slowly, he opened his mouth and bit down. I tried squirming out of his grasp, but he yanked my arm slightly, hurting my shoulder more. I yelped and felt myself give up, sobbing uncontrollably. He was _crazy_.

Gently, he kissed where he had bitten. He sighed heavily. "You taste so sweet, Alex. I remember how your blood tasted on my lips. Mmm, just thinking about it makes my mouth water!" He laughed abruptly. "It's funny; I always thought I was more werewolf than vampire. I guess I was wrong."

I let my face lie on the soaked concrete. Would he really kill me?

In a whisper, he said, "I wonder how your lips taste."

Bringing his fingers under my chin, he lifted my face up, once again soaking it in the rain. I tried shaking my head no, but he still held on tight. He pulled me so close I could only see his skin. I waited uncomfortable and painfully, with my arm outstretched on the hard ground.

His lips were soft at first but then became frantic and harsh against mine. He pushed my head back, hurting my neck and he moved to kneel on the floor. He placed my hands quickly to cradle my face. I wanted to bite down on his lip. I wanted to scream and shout at him, but what good would that do? So I just waited.

But that didn't seem to be enough for him.

He roughly started to kiss me, harder, trying to make me kiss him back. For a moment, he pulled away, gasping from his effort.

"Come on, Al, I know you want me too." He huskily whispered in my face. The whiff of alcohol filled my senses, making me want to be sick. "I'm a lot better for you that that idiot you've settled for."

"You mean my husband?" I snarled, feeling the strength inside me rise. "Get real, O'Connell."

He looked a little surprised but kept his cool. I tried to stand as fast as I could and spat at him, turning to run back inside. But Miles grabbed hold of my leg and yanked me back. I smiled at him coldly.

"You're so pathetic you know?" I laughed at him. "All you can do is physically hurt me, and that's all you'll ever be able to do! You had to change me into a freak like you. And then you ban me from seeing the only man I ever have and ever _will_ love! And now you think trying to kiss me will make me change my mind about you?" I scoffed at him. "You're scum, Miles. Always have been, and always will. Move on!"

He growled fiercely at me, but I was no longer frightened. "I'm scum? Says you! You walk around thinking you're so beautiful and amazing but you're not! You're selfish. You say you love your husband but what about Ryan?"

"What about Ryan?" I said, trying to stay confident, but it was obvious he was weakening my defences.

"The man is so obviously in love with you and you lead him on like a little lost puppy! The guy's an idiot. He knows he will never have you like Jake does, and yet he tries to stay friends with you in the hope one day you will realise that _he_ is the one you want. And all the while, pretty little Princess Alexandra Young doesn't have the slightest clue that you're breaking his heart!"

"Shut up, Miles." I snarled at him, kicking his hand off of my leg. He shrugged.

"It's true. Maybe even the waste of space you call your husband will realise what a selfish cow you are too, then you'll have no one." He started to laugh maniacally. I felt my rage rise up to my throat, overtaking the thirst that was constantly burning. I automatically brought my leg up and rammed my foot into his chest. One moment he was kneeling on the wet ground, then the next he was awkwardly bent over backward and coughing.

I started to run away from him, but he grabbed me again. He pulled me to the floor, slamming my head against the slabs. I groaned heavily as I felt my mind start to cloud. I barely heard his voice scream "don't run away from me!" as I lied down in the rain.

A force rammed into my stomach. I had no voice to shout or moan now. It hit me again – his foot – but into my chin, snapping my head back. It could have been broken, I wasn't sure. I could only feel my body turn numb, but no pain. Was I dying? I was a vampire. I was a werewolf. Maybe both made me weaker, not stronger than others.

Again, Miles's foot hit me with a force that sent me a metre or two across the floor, taking parts of my skin with it as I was pushed harshly. That would soon heal though. But how long could I stay here like this?

Suddenly Miles moved next to me, jumping and landing with a thud, and straddled my back. He bent his lips down to whisper cold words into my ear.

"You know, this was your last chance, Alexandra." He hissed, air from his mouth blowing into my ear. I tried cringing away, so he grabbed my hair and pulled my head up. He kissed just below my earlobe. "Shame you couldn't have been a little bit more cooperative. Now you, your husband and all your little friends are going to pay big time."

"Leave them out of this!" I screamed, hoping someone would come looking for me.

"Oh, I'm just the start, Alex." He whispered huskily. "There's a war coming, and only one of us will survive. I've seen it in everyone's minds." He looked around, as if he could see those people now. "They can feel it too. You've been in this life, what, a few days, a week? You wouldn't be able to feel what's coming; what's going to happen."

Suddenly I felt his sharp fangs tear into my marble-like skin. He didn't drink from me, but I knew what he was doing. He was showing me that I was weaker than him and proving that he could kill me if he really wanted me dead.

"And only one species will survive." He hissed, my blood dripping from his teeth to my cheek, sticking to my hair. I growled heavily at him; this was embarrassing and frightening. Is this what all makers were like? "And unlucky for us, we're both vampire and werewolf."

He tightened his grip on my hair and slammed my blood covered cheek onto the concrete ground. "Which side are you on?"

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**Ooohh so i havent given too much away. Sorry if anyone gets upset; Alex gets beaten up AGAIN!! What is with her? But she's stronger than she thinks...**

**I hope to update soon, but i also have a little homework/coursework to do. Exams in June so wish me luck i can fit one in before it!! :O**

**Any ideas or comments are ALWAYS welcome. I hope you liked this Chapter. **

**Review and click on Chippy PLEASE!! Megan xx**


	39. Dressing Robe

**Sorry it took so long again. Ive had a lot going on at th minute. R&R Please - enjoy x**

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_**I knew Miles had left. His scent had been wiped away by the rain a few minutes after he slammed my body against the brick wall. Suddenly I started to shiver. I was shaking so much my breath started to get quicker too. Then for a split second there was nothing. No thought, no breathing, no me. Then after that, I could feel my naked body on the wet ground, shaking from the cold, with my torn clothes spread around me...**_

Jake's Point Of View

I walked back into the canteen and went over to Ryan, Alex and the twins. Everybody wore frowns, especially the twins. Amelia had a few tears dripping from her eyes and Mika was chatting to Ryan in a stressful tone. Ryan looked furious, but with who?

"What's going on?" I said. Ryan sighed heavily and moved to face me.

"Alex ran off somewhere."

"What?" I said, half angry and half worried. "Why? Where did she go?"

"I don't know, outside somewhere? She just got upset that Mika and Amelia are moving to Australia." He huffed.

"You what?"

"They only came back to say goodbye."

"Well no wonder she's upset!" I growled. "Did you even warn her?"

His silence spoke wonders.

"Well at least help me find her!" I yelled, turning on my heel towards the outside picnic area, with Ryan close behind me. "You owe my wife an apology."

Our footsteps pounded against the floor, echoing everywhere. Soon the bell would ring and we would be off to our exam. The rain rattled onto the window, creating more noise. I ran faster, getting closer to the door that leads to the picnic area. I want Alexandra in my arms. What if she was in tears? She probably thought everyone was ambushing her. Poor sweetheart; I would make Ryan pay if he hurt her again!

"Jake!" Ryan's panicked voice echoed as we were footsteps away from the door. "Jake, can't you smell that?"

I was distracted, but as I took a deep whiff, I could smell it too.

Blood.

"Alex!" I shouted as we both bashed through the door. Quickly the rain began to soak through our clothes. The wind blew the smell of blood up my nose. It was mouth watering, especially seeing as I knew who it was. But this only made me sick to see the image before me.

I expected to see Alex crying, but that was it. Maybe I thought she'd fell over, cutting her knee, spilling blood on the soaked ground.

What I certainly did not expect to see was my wife, sprawled on the floor, crushed up against the brick wall that enclosed the picnic area. Her clothes were everywhere, torn and ripped. Blood ran in the water, making the aroma even more intense.

And what made me confused, and even more frightened, was that she was in wolf form.

She was absolutely beautiful. She was thin and sleek. Her fur was completely black, long and smooth, and shined from the little light that came from only the school corridor. But her body was covered in blood.

I ran over next to her and collapsed. Ryan pulled off his t-shirt and covered her shaking body. A sharp whine came from Alex's muzzle, making a large tare in my heart. I was frozen in place while Ryan did his best to warm my wife's shivering body.

"We have to get her inside, Jake." Ryan said calmly, but you could tell he was worried like hell, maybe as much as I was. I was thankful he could pull himself together. "Jake, come on, open the door ready." With a final jerk, I blinked twice and leaped over to open the door. Ryan had already picked up the wolf's fragile body and moved quickly into the corridor. We sped down to the Nurse's office, where everyone rushed to help us. Teachers and pupils swarmed around, watching us with panicked eyes and shouting with quick voices.

Shaking myself, I said, "I can take her now."

"Lets get her on the bed, Jake, so the Nurse can get a little look at her first." I said, but then paused, staring at Alex's face. "Or do werewolves need vets?"

Without another word, we gently slid Alex's new form onto the Nurse's bed and sat by her. I knelt besides her head, smoothing the fur on her paw as she whined while the nurse struggled to check Alex with me being so close. But I didn't want to be away from her. I was positive she was frightened. She had shifted for the first time, after being beaten up and left in the freezing cold rain! I would kill Miles in the slowest, most painful way possible, as long as it wouldn't hurt Alexandra.

But what got me wondering was the fact that it was somehow possible for Alex to form. After all, I had witnessed her placing her school wristband this morning, and still it was on right beside her paw. The school Wristband System was set up so that all students would be safe. The metal on the outer shape somehow prevented students to behave naturally, meaning Vampires could not extend their fangs, Shape shifters could only stay in their true form and, supposedly, werewolves could not shift. The supernatural's government scientists handed these out to the few schools that allowed people like us to attend. Was there something wrong with the Wristbands? Or was there, and I hoped to god not, was there something wrong with my wife?

"There we go – all better!"

"Thank you Mrs Snape."

"You better get this young one home." The nurse's voice whispered gently. "He seems like a keeper."

My beautiful Alex laughed lightly as she replied, "Well I'm kinda stuck with him – he's my husband."

"Well congratulations! I'll leave you two alone."

"Thanks again." And with that, I heard the nurse walk out into the corridors. Alex moved around a little as I brought my head up from the bed and shook off my long slumber.

Her breathtaking eyes fixed on me and her perfect lips twitched as the corner of her mouth moved up in a cute smile. Suddenly I was fully awake; I jumped up from my position and stood in front of my wife. She was alive. She was in human form again.

We watched each other, not making a sound at all. She brought her delicate fingers up to my cheeks and cupped my face. I drew in a long breath.

"I thought I'd lost you." I said almost silently.

She smiled timidly. "Well you haven't." She jumped off the table and waved. "See?"

I stared vaguely.

"Hello." She giggled sarcastically.

I sat down slowly. I looked her over with my tired eyes. She was wearing a dressing robe. All her clothes had been torn and soaked in the rain. I ran my fingers through my hair as my eyes moved down to her bare legs.

Alexandra grinned. "Don't even think about it."

Stepping closer to me shyly, she then frowned as I didn't sweep her up instantly in my arms like I usually would.

"Jake, you...you do realise this is still me, right?" she murmured. "I mean, I haven't changed."

I opened my mouth, and then closed it again. She sighed as she made her way into my lap and curled her body to fit mine. She turned her head to look at me.

"You're going to kill him, aren't you," She stated. I nodded slowly. "I don't even know if I don't want you to."

"Why _would_ you not want me to?" I said angrily. "Do you not realise that you almost died tonight? Again!"

"Jake, honey, he's still my maker!"

"Yes, he is. And he really showed his loyalty to you when you where face down on the ground, bleeding to death."

Suddenly she got up and walked out the door sharply. I followed her in silence as she walked out of the doors and on her way to our house. As soon as we got inside, she flittered up to the bedroom and fell on the bed, curling up in a small ball. I joined her and ran my fingers gently down her sides. The window let in the moonlight and shone over our bodies, making them appear paler than ever. My wife was absolutely breath taking. It took all my will not to yank her on top of me as the thin robe fell from her shoulders and more of her flesh was showing.

"I'm sorry if I upset you love." I whispered, kissing her bare shoulder.

"I'm not upset," she reassured me, but didn't move. "I just don't understand."

Confused, I pulled her shoulder, turning her over so I could see her face. She was frowning but tried to smile at me.

"Understand what?"

I moved closer to her, kissing down the side of her arm, pulling the dressing robe with it. She sighed lightly in delight and brought her body closer to mine.

"_He_ said that there is a war coming. And when it does, I'll have to pick a side because, well, he said only one species will survive." She mumbled. "What's going to happen? Is this why The Twins are leaving permanently?"

"Shh, Alex, think nothing of it. This is what _he_ wants." I took her hand in mine and kissed it once, twice, three times. Her eyes fluttered shut. "He wants you to be worried. But don't be. If anything does happen with the super-naturals, you know I will never let you be harmed."

She moved into my body, pressing her fragile hands on my chest and leaning in to kiss me.

_I'll die before anything happens to you again. I promise._

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**Any ideas? Good or bad? Let me know - i'm nice, i promise x**


	40. 8 Months Ago

**Well it's been a long time since i've updated, and there's been some huge spelling mistakes and incorrections in this story. Please let me know if you'd like me to finish it then i will try. Mx**

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It's been eight months until I last saw Miles, the very same day he'd beat me to a pulp. It's been 6 months since Jake and I moved into our new home and started our new life together. It's been 3 months since the new girl Lauren came to Philip Grand High School and Ryan fell head over heels for her. Throughout the eight months, Bray's, Leona's, my friends' and most of the wolf pack's parents pulled them out of school. It's been eight months since I was left confused, not knowing what was to come.

But not everyone left me. I still had Jake. I still had Molly, his sister, my best friend Ryan, Maggie, Diego and Nate left. But I still had the itch in the back of my mind, telling me sooner or later they'll leave too.

A lot of things had changed; Jake and I had a house to ourselves whilst Molly kept the old one. She was keen on getting us out of there seeing as her and Diego seemed to be getting closer everyday, surprisingly. Jake was pleased to see that Ryan was a little less obsessed with me than what he was eight months ago. Sometimes things seemed intense but then other days he was too busy drooling over Lauren. He'd recently cut and dyed his black hair, turning it a dark brown, deciding his natural hair was 'too similar to Miles's'.

I hadn't seen Miles since that very first day I'd shifted, nor had I ever shifted into a wolf since or feel the unmerciful burning that came when he was too far away. Jake had taught me how to hunt and I noticed then that my thirst was easy enough to cope with. Deep down, I knew I was a vampire at heart, not sided with the wolves like Miles had though sometimes I found myself dithering in what it would be like to shift again.

The new girl Lauren fitted in with our group quite perfectly. She had red hair and emerald eyes, with freckles dotted about her face which made her look innocent and kind. She was a human that had been moved away from London. The rest of the pack left school when Miles left, but Maggie and Diego stayed, renouncing all friendship tied to my maker.

I'd kept in touch with the twins and my old wolf friends, but they had their own lives to live, yet it was hard to let them go. Meanwhile Maggie stayed loyal to me and became like a sister, though I knew she missed Miles.

It was the 9th of December; little more than two weeks until Christmas and my friends and I were gathered around the lunch table, discussing our holiday plans, or lack of them should I say. With his arm around my waist and my head on his shoulder, I'd yet to discover how I'd become so lucky to have become Jake Young's wife.

"Well, that settles it." Jake announced. "Everybody round ours for a party on Christmas Eve then back round for Christmas dinner in the afternoon?"

"Ah, not too early please?" I quickly nudged Jake's side with a twinkle in my eye. "We'll be wanting some time in the morning to, uh...open presents and stuff."

Jake grinned down at me and kissed my forehead.

Nate laughed, "Is that what you're calling it nowadays?"

I rolled my eyes at my friends who all started to giggle. Jake pulled me in closer to his side and breathed into my neck.

Soon the bell rung and it was back to lessons, back to my normal life and back to the way I liked it.

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**It's up to you now if you'd like me to carry it on, you're the readers. Just did this little chapter as a chance to stop it or finish the whole thing, so let me know. M x**


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